• Students are seated in small groups
• The teacher begins by outlining activities and stating goals
• Students are given time to ask questions and clarify expectations
• Students sort themselves into assigned teams and go to an
activity center; the teacher stays at one center
• Students circulate through the teacher-led group, engaging
in conversation that interweaves content vocabulary and knowledge
with contexts familiar to the students (references to home, family,
community)
• Conversation is student-oriented: students propose ideas,
the teacher guides the discussion
• The other teams are engaged in focused activities, working
together to complete the assigned task
• At a designated time, students rotate so that by the end of
the lesson, all students have had some focused time with the teacher
• The teacher uses group time to assess abilities and assist
student learning
• Students are grouped differently at different times —
sometimes those with similar primary languages are put together and
sometimes not. In same-language groupings, students frequently speak
to each other in their primary language clarifying and explaining
concepts to one another
• When the bell rings, students often leave in mixed groups,
reflective of the classroom groupings |
• Students sit passively in rows and listen as the teacher lectures
• Occasionally
questions are posed and students raise hands. Generally, the same
students volunteer answers
• Student-initiated questions are rare
• Lesson concepts are written on the chalkboard or worksheets
and copied by students
• Class time not devoted to lecture is generally structured
as quiet time when students work in isolation
• Student interaction during this time is usually whispered
and not lesson-related
• Some students finish their work early and occupy the remaining
time with activities not related to the lesson
• Some students struggle and don’t finish their work
• Students cluster together in their social groups as they leave,
usually segregated by language, culture and racial groups |
