Professional Development Facilitator Guide

Opening Hook (10 min): Play a 90-second video clip of a classroom where students are driving the discussion (available on Teaching Channel). Facilitator says: 'Watch this and notice WHO is doing the talking and thinking. Jot down one thing you notice.' Pair-share for 2 min, then whole-group share-out. Bridge: 'Today we're going to build the structures that make this possible in your classroom.' Pitfall: If video equipment fails, read a transcript excerpt instead. Core Learning (25 min): Present Accountable Talk framework — 3 types: accountable to the learning community (listening, building on ideas), accountable to accurate knowledge (citing evidence), accountable to rigorous thinking (explaining reasoning). Use a real student work sample and model how to evaluate whether talk meets each type. Show 30-second clips of teacher moves that promote vs. shut down student discourse. Collaborative Practice (25 min): Lesson Tuning Protocol — in grade-level teams, one teacher presents an upcoming lesson. The group identifies 2-3 specific moments where accountable talk can be inserted and writes the exact teacher prompt and student stems. Rotate so each teacher gets at least 5 minutes of tuning. Facilitator circulates and pushes teams to be specific: not 'add a discussion' but 'after the read-aloud, ask students to turn to their partner and say I agree with ___ because ___ or I want to add to ___'s idea by ___'. Reflection (10 min): Teachers complete a self-assessment: 'In my last lesson, who talked more — me or students? What percentage of student talk was student-to-student vs. student-to-teacher?' Then write their Monday-ready commitment: 'In my next lesson on [topic], I will insert accountable talk at [specific moment] using [specific stem].' Closing (5 min): Accountability partner exchange — teachers share their commitment with a partner and exchange contact info. Facilitator says: 'Text your partner on Monday after you try it. We'll start next week's meeting with a 2-minute check-in.' Pitfall: If teams finish early, have them draft a second commitment for a different lesson. If teams are stuck, provide a menu of 10 common accountable talk stems to choose from.