Designing Classroom Activities for Diverse Language Needs.

A case study of teachers' activity design processes presents early findings from an ongoing study that intends to contribute to a practical theory of activity design that captures and reduces the complexity of integrated activities. The study also points to the kind of support teachers need to reflect a more constructivist perspective in their practice. In phase 2 of the study, a "think-aloud" planning activity was designed that allowed teacher thinking to be studied in a more controlled context and allowed exploration of the finding from phase 1 that teachers do not refer much to individual student needs and abilities. The 2-step think-aloud involved developing a literature-based writing activity and planning a specific writing lesson. Analysis of the transcripts of the think-aloud was guided by an activity design model. Contrasting data from a fourth-grade teacher in an urban school with a substantial number of minority and low-income students and a fourth-grade teacher in a suburban, middle income, largely white school, highlight features of an integrative design process. Results indicated four characteristics of teachers' activity design processes critical in promoting active learning in a diverse classroom: (1) breadth, specificity, and flexibility of teachers' child knowledge; (2) child knowledge plays a central role in constructing the design; (3) designs are starting points for revising instruction and knowledge; and (4) designs provide a framework for assessment of students and the teachers' approaches. (Two initial teacher monologues, the protocols for guiding think-alouds about literature and writing, and 53 references are attached.) (RS)