Table 2 Reflecting forward/planning conversations

a) Getting Started

 • Tell me about what you’re working on

 • What are some of your overarching goals with this unit?

 • What questions are you considering?

 • What would you like to see happen?

 • What are you most excited about?

 • What do you expect students will already know and be able to do?

 • What are some ways you can move this forward?

 • What will success look or feel like?

 • What will be some indicators that you are making progress?

b) Clarifying/Reflecting

 • So you’re thinking that …

 • You’re wondering if …

 • You’re concerned about …

 • So there are three issues here …

 • On the one hand … and on the other hand …

 • It’s important to you that …

 • An assumption you’re operating from is …

 • An example of what you’re talking about could be …

c) Re-Framing

 • What are some other ways of thinking about this?

 • Has this always been the case, or have there been times where things have been different?

 • What haven’t we considered yet?

 • Who else might we talk to about this idea?

 • What are your reasons for doing things this way? How might the outcome change if we did things a different way?

 • What are some alternative possibilities you haven’t considered yet?

 • Are there other resources we should take a look at?

d) Getting Specific

 • Which of the 2–3 ideas that you’ve mentioned would you like to try?

 • What data could you collect to measure your success?

 • How will you know what the students have learned?

 • What resources will you and students need to do this?

 • What will each group member need to contribute to move ahead?

 • Does what you are considering help students to meet the standards?

 • Where are we right now in the curriculum design process? Where do we go next?