Scaffolding PBL: Building Skills with Practice Cards

Facilitation Guide
(6 hours)
Session Information
Learning Targets Coach Resources

Teacher Learning Targets

● Quality Instruction
○ Learner-centered practices as the approach to
daily instruction to improve responsiveness to
student needs, scaffold growth on learning
outcomes, and foster positive academic
self-concept
○ Design learner-centered strategies to
intentionally support your students’ assets,
growth, collaboration, and ownership of
learning
● Accompanying slides
● Participant Facing Echo Agenda (draft)
● Culture Quotes
● Practices Brainstorm Doc
● Assessment Jigsaw Graphic Organizer
● Chalk Talk documents - in progress
● Project calendars such as
○ Composting in the Classroom

Coach Notes/To Dos:

The New Tech Network Practices Cards Workshop is a stand-alone training for teaching and fostering deeper learning
skills in the classroom. Using the NTN Practices Cards, a compilation of key cultural and instructional practices,
teachers will enhance student-centered instruction by incorporating Practices Cards into their PBL units as both
instructional scaffolding and assessment tasks.

*Note to facilitators: Depending on the background of your participants, there may be varying levels of understanding
about NTLOs, Echo, rubric indicators, or PBL in general. Make sure to understand the context of the school before
facilitating to better address questions that may come up about references in the card decks to NTLOs, Echo, etc.

Agenda & Facilitation Notes

Facilitation Notes

Opening Moves (20 minutes)

Opening and/or Transition

● Connection- facilitator’s choice
● Learning Targets
○ Quality Instruction
■ Learner-centered practices as the approach to daily instruction to improve responsiveness to student
needs, scaffold growth on learning outcomes, and foster positive academic self-concept
■ Design learner-centered strategies to intentionally support your students’ assets, growth,
collaboration, and ownership of learning
 ● Agenda review and community agreements

Learner-Centered Practices (40 minutes)

Intro

Say: We’ll be working with card sets throughout the day. The goal is that the cards can be used with you as a learner and then
you can use them with your students -- you’ll see an intentional flow to each activity to model, debrief the content you
learned, process how the practice supported your learning, and consider how you might implement the practice in your
classroom.

Concept Attainment
● Introduce Concept Attainment card #7
● The goal will be for participants to develop a working definition of a Learner-Centered Approach.
● Use the slides to facilitate the concept attainment activity
● Debrief the content learned (definition of learner-centered practice)
● Process how the practice (Concept Attainment) supported their learning
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms

Define Scaffolding
● Use the slide to establish a baseline for what we mean when we say scaffolding. Note that teachers may hold varying
ideas about what scaffolding is.

Anatomy of a Practices Card

● Introduce the card deck as a resource for scaffolding. Depending on the group, you may have hard copy card decks
or digital only.
● Give participants a minute or two to look through the cards. Point out that there are practices that will be familiar to
them already.
● Use the slides to explain the anatomy of a card including the color coding and the icons, especially for the New Tech
Learning Outcomes. Please note that there may be varying levels of familiarity with the NTLOs.

Transition:
Say: We’ll be exploring each of the decks one-by one at first. Then will bring them all together and see how these decks can
be used for daily lessons in units and PBL projects.

Culture Card Deck Deep Dive (50 minutes)

Intro
Say: A tool you can use to help build and maintain a safe, inclusive and emotionally supportive culture in your classroom is the
NTN culture practices card deck. This is a deck of cards with 27 different practices. We developed the NTN Culture Practices
based off of learning done from Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, The Whole-Brain Child, and a few other great
works that you find cited in the deck.

Block Party

● Introduce Block Party card #3

● The goal will be for participants to make connections to the quotes about culture, establish its importance, and unite
around the goal of a shared commitment to being a safe, inclusive, emotionally-supportive environment
● Use culture quotes to facilitate the Block Party activity
● Debrief the content learned (importance of culture in classrooms, “...creating and maintaining a healthy classroom
culture takes intentional steps all year long.”)
● Process how the practice (Block Party) supported their learning
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms

Storytelling

● Introduce Storytelling card #5

● Think about a classroom you had as a student (elementary, ms, hs, college, etc.) that felt safe, inclusive, and
emotionally supportive. Tell us about that classroom, that teacher. What did you hear, see, feel?
● 5 minutes to think/write, 10 minutes to share
● Debrief the content learned (personal connection to culture, concrete examples of what supported a safe, inclusive,
and emotionally supportive environment)
● Process how the practice (Storytelling) supported their learning
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms

Selecting Cards
Say: Let’s spend some time here finding a few practice cards you’d like to use in your next unit or project. How might you go
about doing that? Get specific- which cards, how often until it becomes a ritual or routine?
● This is an opportunity for participants to really dig into the Culture Practices cards. Give participants a few minutes to
look at the culture deck; ask participants to begin by reading the Overview & Table of Contents before reading
through the rest of the deck.
● Participants can now take time to sift through the card deck, and select one or two practices to implement in their
classrooms during the project/unit they’re planning.
● A few, potential pushes to make while they sift and work:
○ Participants should be as specific as possible so that this plan to implement these practices is actionable
○ Participants should document their plans in their Practices Brainstorm Document
Transition:
Say: There is a famous quote by Peter Drucker that says “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s an easy way to remember
that attending to a strong classroom culture is foundational to any student learning that will take place. We’ll revisit these
culture cards when we talk about weaving them into projects later today.

10 MINUTE BREAK

Learner Centered Practice Cards Deep Dive (50 minutes)

Intro

Say: For deeper learning to take place, classrooms and schools need learning to be authentic, active, relational, responsive,
and complex. We spent time this morning naming characteristics of Learner-Centered Practices. Let’s use a LCP to dive
deeper into more LCPs!

Chalk Talk
Facilitation Note:
Each station should have the following information on it
- Card front and back
- Example(s) from the classroom
- A QR code that links them to a website listed under the “Go Deeper” section of the card

You will need to have these pages printed prior to attending and create the stations around the room before this
activity.
 ● Introduce Chalk Talk card #5
● Facilitate Chalk Talk in which teachers leave post-it notes to share their thinking on the LCPs featured on the posters
around the room.
● Allow participants to view all their peers' responses when finished.
● Reflect as a whole group on what they noticed, connections, or wonderings.
★ For each LCP in the Chalk Talk ask, “Where is there evidence that this practice supports learning that is
authentic? Active? Relational? Responsive? Complex?”
● Process how the practice (Chalk Talk) supported their learning.
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms.

Selecting Cards
Say: Let’s spend some time here finding a few practice cards you’d like to use in your next unit or project. How might you go
about doing that?
● This is an opportunity for participants to really dig into the Learner Centered Practice cards. Give participants a few
minutes to look at the LCP deck; ask participants to begin by reading the Overview & Table of Contents before
reading through the rest of the deck.
● Participants can now take time to sift through the card deck, and select one or two practices to implement in their
classrooms during the project/unit they’re planning.
● A few, potential pushes to make while they sift and work:
○ Participants should be as specific as possible so that this plan to implement these practices is actionable
○ Participants should document their plans in their Practices Brainstorm Document

Morning Reflection (10 minutes)

I Used to Think, Now I Think…

● Introduce I Used to Think, Now I Think… card #10

● Allow participants to reflect on their learning for the morning.
● Debrief the content learned (self-reflection on learning)
● Process how the practice (I Used to Think, Now I Think…) supported their learning
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms
 ● Be explicit about how this formative assessment provides you as the facilitator with valuable information as
you begin the afternoon session.
10 MINUTE BREAK
LUNCH BREAK

Assessment Card Deck Deep Dive (60 min)

Intro
Say: Each of the assessment practices reflect an underlying shift in the way students and teachers approach assessment. Before
we look at the four different types, let’s uncover some of our beliefs around assessment with a round of Four Corners.

Four Corners
● Introduce Four Corners # 11
● Use the slides to facilitate this variation of Four Corners variation (Continuum). Participants will stand one one
side of the room to represent if they agree or disagree with each statement. Participants are also allowed to
stand in between, anywhere on the “line” if they feel they land somewhere in the middle.
● Allow participants to share out loud about why they selected where to stand on the continuum. Allow
participants to move up or down the lines as their thoughts or feelings change based on the discussion.
● Debrief the content learned (self reflection on learning).
● Process how the practice (Four Corners) supported their learning.
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms.

Say: Take a look at the Assessment Practices Overview Card. The practices in this deck support Focus on Feedback, Assess for
Learning, Making Grading Equitable and Manageable, and Prioritize Performance Assessment.

Jigsaw

● Introduce Jigsaw Card #12

● Explain that this is a modified Jigsaw. If time permitted, we would explore the sections of our Assessment
decks in groups and then return to table groups. Instead, we’ll explore our sections independently and share
with our table group.
● Each member of the group will be assigned one of the four types of cards in the deck. Participants can use the
Assessment Practices Table of Contents card to know which cards fit into each category. Participants should
collect their thoughts in the Jigsaw Template (be sure to have them make a copy).
● Allow groups to briefly and independently explore the cards for their section. Participants should choose one
card to share with their group. They should be able to:
● Explain the ‘gist of the card’
● How it fits into its category (such as Focus on Feedback, Assess for Learning, etc)
● Where in the unit or project this practice might be useful
● Facilitate a return to home groups and use a discussion protocol to have each person share out their responses
to the three prompts.
● Debrief the content learned (self reflection on learning) with an emphasis on sharing our “When in the unit or
project might this practice occur?”
● Process how the practice (Jigsaw) supported their learning.
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms.

Say: Thank you for giving extra attention to where in the project or unit the assessment practice would occur. I can tell this
group has an excellent understanding that assessment is an ongoing, continuous process that informs teacher instruction as
well as motivates student learning with an emphasis on feedback, reflection, revision, and growth.
Selecting Cards
Say: Let’s spend some time here finding at least one assessment practice card you’d like to use in your next unit or project. Get
specific- which cards, and at what point in the unit or project will it occur.
● This is an opportunity for participants to really dig into the Assessment Practices cards. Give participants a few minutes
to look at the red deck.
● Participants can now select one or two practices to implement in their classrooms during the project/unit they’re
planning.
● A few, potential pushes to make while they sift and work:
○ Participants should be as specific as possible so that this plan to implement these practices is actionable
○ Participants should document their plans in their Practices Brainstorm Document

Integrating Multiple Practices into Your Classroom (30 min)

Intro
Say: So far we have examined these card decks individually. It’s now time to synthesize how these practices work together in
the context of a project (or unit) to scaffold student learning.

Knows and Need to Knows

Use the slides to explain how anticipated Knows and Need to Knows can be used to select LCPs and design a project or unit
for student learning. Point out the use of cards from different decks throughout the calendar.

See, Think, Wonder with Project Calendar

● Introduce See, Think, Wonder card #15. It may be helpful to offer examples of what a See, Think, and Wonder can
include. For example, seeing is just naming, like “I see that there is W.O.O.P. on Day 11 of the project.”
● Give each participant a sample project calendar PDF to explore. Prompt them to jot down things they see, think, or
wonder. Let participants know that the calendar with live links is available to them in the NTN Help Center to explore at
another time if they are interested.
● Reflect as a whole group on what they noticed, any connections, or wonderings. Collect the participants' thoughts on
chart paper or a Google doc.
● Process how the practice (See, Think, Wonder) supported their learning
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms
● **Add a daily agenda? Zoom in on one day?

Transition
Say: Now that we have an idea of how to see the cards in different parts of a project, it's time for you to find ways to apply
cards from the different card decks to your current classroom.

Work Time (60 min)

Structured Design Time

Ask participants to identify at least 1 card from each deck and integrate into your current project/teaching practice. Have
teachers prioritize the LCP card first, then move to the Culture or Assessment card planning.
Consider the following:
 ○ How do the cards you select promote student ownership of learning, inquiry, and growth?
○ How will the card need to be adapted to fit the current needs of both students and project progress?
○ What additional resources will you need to provide to make these successful?

Walk around to check on and support participants as needed.

Have participants add their work to one document.

Feedback Protocol (30 min)

Intro

● Introduce Praise, Question, Suggestion card #14

● Explain purpose of feedback protocol.
● Review the specific protocol times (in the slide deck).
● Reference and connect to community agreements here.
● Note: It is worth noting that this is meant to be quick! We hope that by following a tight protocol, we can still get great
feedback in a short amount of time.

PQS
Allow participants to share in pairs (or triads if time allows). Share the sentence stems in the slides to help guide feedback.

PQS Debrief
● Debrief the content learned (Was the feedback helpful? In what ways?)
● Process how the practice (Praise, Question, Suggestion) supported their learning
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms

Closing (30 min)

Closing

Review Learning Targets

Reflect on Community Agreements
Survey

Community Circle

● Introduce Community Circle card #14

● Say: We’re going to do a specific type of community circle called Circle of Appreciations. Think back to your day. Your
colleagues here have helped you in various ways, maybe by offering feedback, answering questions, bouncing ideas
around with you, or making you laugh and smile. In a moment, I will say that the circle is open. When anyone in the
group feels like sharing an appreciation for anyone else in the group, they may speak up. It’s ok to go more than once,
but be sure to give everyone else in the group a chance to speak first before you go a second time. After a while, when
the sharing slows down or stops, I will announce that the circle is closed.
● Facilitate Circle of Appreciations.
● Consider how this practice could be implemented in classrooms.
● Thank the participants for their work today.
 Teachers in Existing NTN Campuses

20 minutes Opening Moves

● Connection
● Learning Targets
○ Quality Instruction
■ Learner-centered practices as the approach to daily instruction to
improve responsiveness to student needs, scaffold growth on
learning outcomes, and foster positive academic self-concept
■ Design learner-centered strategies to intentionally support your
students’ assets, growth, collaboration, and ownership of learning
● Agenda reviews and community agreements

40 minutes Learner Centered Practices

● Concept Attainment #7
● Leveraging the NTN Practices Cards to scaffold
● Anatomy of a Practices Card

50 minutes Culture Card Deck Deep Dive

● Block Party #3
● Storytelling #5
● Debrief - Process - Implement
● Selecting Cards

10 minutes Break
50 minutes Learner-Centered Practice Card Deck Deep Dive

● Chalk Talk #5
● Debrief - Process - Implement
● Selecting Cards

10 minutes Morning Reflection

● I Used to Think…Now I Think… #10

● Afternoon Preview

60 minutes Lunch
60 minutes Assessment Card Deck Deep Dive

● Four Corners #11

● Jigsaw #12
● Debrief - Process - Implement
● Selecting Cards

30 minutes Integrating Multiple Practices into Your Classroom

● Knows and Need to Knows

● Connecting Cards from different decks
● See-Think-Wonder #15 - Project Calendar

60 minutes Design Time

● Identify at least 1 card from each deck and integrate into your current
project/teaching practice

● Consider the following

○ How do the cards you select promote student ownership of learning,
inquiry, and growth?
○ How will the card need to be adapted to fit the current needs of both
students and project progress?
○ What additional resources will you need to provide to make these
successful?

20 minutes Feedback Protocol

● Praise, Question, Suggestion Protocol #14

30 minutes Closing Moves

● Review Learning Targets
● Reflect on Community Agreements
● Survey
● Community Circle #14