Depth and Complexity: 👄Language of the Discipline

This is part of a larger series on Introducing Depth and Complexity

I think that 👄 Language of the Discipline is one of the most misused prompts of depth and complexity. It’s misuse is a perfect look at how simple “using” depth and complexity is not our goal, but rather our goal is to push students deeper into content and get them thinking in new ways.

The Problem

Often, I see the language of the discipline icon just plopped next to existing spelling or vocabulary work. Take a spelling list from your reading program and add a picture. This doesn’t change a thing. Simply adding an icon doesn’t push students deeper.

Instead, let’s think about what the language of a discipline is all about.

What is the 👄 Language of a Discipline?

Any field has a set of language that experts use in order to communicate quickly and clearly.

If you watch an operation, the surgeon blurts out some term, holds her hand out, and a nurse hands over the exact tool needed. Everyone in that room knows the language of their discipline.
Cooks in a kitchen know a set of words and phrases that help them get their jobs done efficiently.
When a police officer hears a code on their radio, they know what the code means immediately and can respond.
As teachers, we have a rich set of language that often includes lots of acronyms: IEP, ELL, RTI or even 504.

If we don’t know the language of our discipline, we look like complete novices.

Imagine if your doctor told you that your “big leg bone” was broken, or a police officer pulled you over and said “you didn’t flash that thingy when you did that thing,” or a waiter told you the special was “some bird parts put in the hot oil for a while.” You’d assume they didn’t know anything about their field.

Language of the Discipline is an essential tool for discussing any topic beyond a beginner’s level. If you’re using emoji as the icon, the 👄 lips are perfect.

Student Intros

First! Explain what “discipline” means. In this context, it’s not a punishment for breaking a rule, but rather a field of study (this is actually a fantastic example of the need to define our language before we get started!).

You can introduce Language of the Discipline to students by pretending no one knows the names of anything in the classroom. How confusing would the school day be if we had to describe everything every time? What are terms we use at school to help us communicate quickly and easily?

Likewise, their own hobbies have essential language, whether it’s a sport, a game, art, music, or baking. Allow them to share words and phrases that they must know in order to even get started.

It’s worth talking to students about the danger of assuming that people know what a specific word means in a specific context. When we don’t define our jargon, we can have conversations that run parallel, but don’t actually connect. I wrote about this problem in education, but you could simulate it by having people think a pencil means slightly different things. Pencils, pens, crayons, and markers are all pretty similar yet, at the same time, wildly different. Or imagine saying “marker” and half the class assumes “Crayola marker” and half assumes “Sharpie marker.” We’d have a problem!

We have to all agree on what language of a discipline means before we can use it effectively!

Taking It To Content

Student interests are an easy bridge to start spotting essential language in any field at school.

In math, words like “product” and “factor” help us discuss an equation more easily. Symbols are also examples of the language of mathematics. If you don’t know what + or % or ∫ mean, you can’t even begin to communicate.
Studying a map requires knowing the language of cartography: compass rose, key, longitude and latitude, and perhaps elevation. We also need to know the symbols on a map.
Even PE has essential language. Boy it would be hard to play basketball well without knowing language like: free throw, three-pointer, foul, dribble, and key (a different meaning from cartography!)
Stories have essential language. I often use The Giving Tree to introduce the prompts. There are two levels here:
1. Language the author has picked. Words that are important in the story. The word “boy” is essential to The Giving Tree, for example.
2. Also the language of story-telling: words like setting, plot, rising action, climax, theme, and son on.

As you begin a lesson, consider what words, phrases, acronyms, and symbols your students need to know in order to effectively communicate. This is the language of the discipline you’re teaching!

Always Raise The Thinking

Like any prompt of Depth and Complexity, the purpose is to change our students interactions with content. Our kids should go deeper than before. This means staying away from the bottom of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Do not just ask “What is the 👄language of this discipline?” Do not just have kids define words. Climb Bloom’s to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize.

Compare and contrast the same words across multiple disciplines.
Evaluate the relative importance of five words.
Judge which word or phrase has changed the most over time?

As I’ve written before, just using depth and complexity isn’t enough. We must make sure that we’re really pushing students to new levels of thinking and understanding.