For schools and districts
A classroom discussion routine your faculty can rely on.
The Teach Different Method™ is a structured, evidence-based discussion routine that works as a Tier 1 intervention inside lessons teachers already teach. It was developed under a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services, in partnership with the Illinois Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities.
The routine
Quote › Claim › Counterclaim › Essential Question › Storytelling
Ten minutes. Any subject. Any grade from 5 to 12.
The power of conversations
One conversation. Dozens of standards.
A single conversation advances literacy, civics, social-emotional, world language, and arts goals at the same time. The structure does the work: students make a claim, build the strongest case against it, name the essential question underneath, and bring a story from their own lives.
That is why one routine maps onto so many separate frameworks. You are not adding another initiative on top of the ones your faculty already carry. You are giving them a way to hit several at once.
Standards alignment
One routine, 32 frameworks.
Not thirty-two things to do. One thing to do, which thirty-two frameworks already ask for.
10Illinois
- ELA
- Social Science
- Social/Emotional Learning
- World Languages
- Arts Learning
- CRTL
- Professional Teaching
- Civics Mandate (PA 99-0434)
- Media Literacy (PA 102-0055)
- TEAACH Act
10National
- Common Core ELA
- C3 Social Studies
- CASEL
- ACTFL World-Readiness
- NCSS
- NCTE
- Educating for American Democracy
- Civics and Government
- P21 Skills
- National Core Arts
12International
- International Baccalaureate
- Cambridge
- OECD Learning Compass
- UNESCO Global Citizenship
- Council of Europe
- Finland
- Singapore
- Japan
- China
- South Korea
- Australia
- New Zealand
What we offer
Three ways to bring Teach Different to your school.
01 Entry
Teach Different Method training
A 60 to 90 minute workshop, virtual or in person, for up to 20 educators. Includes one year of access to the professional learning community.
90 minute, half-day or full-day · On-site or virtual · CPDU eligible
02 Ongoing
Professional learning community
A sustainable investment in a nationwide teaching community. Over 200 conversation plans, over 200 humanities classroom ideas and over 200 STEM classroom ideas, each one connecting a conversation to the curriculum.
600+ classroom-ready resources · Monthly live trainings · Peer forums
03 Credentialing
Certificate Pathway
An online course open to individual teachers, discounted for cohorts, with graduate-level credit available.
Up to 15 Illinois CPDUs · Graduate credit through Quincy University
Reach and outcomes
What we measure, and what it shows.
From the 2025 to 2026 workshops: 80 educators trained, 43 certified. The 34 who completed the post-training survey reported reaching 2,568 students.
Student surveys
Teacher pre and post
Student artifacts
Exit interviews
Figures are drawn from the Teach Different measurement corpus: six data streams collected across four cohorts, September 2025 through July 2026.
The Method
What teachers do.
A structured discussion routine. Four moves.
Move one
Claim
Begin with a line worth examining. A quote, a proposition, a passage.
Move two
Counterclaim
Hold the opposite seriously. Make the other side's case in full, even if it is not yours.
Move three
Essential question
Frame the tension as a question students can think with.
Move four
Storytelling
Students bring stories from their own lives. That is where their experience meets the concept.
From the classroom
What teachers are saying.
Since Covid, I felt like I was losing my fastball when it came to getting kids to engage. Mr. Florczyak, Social Studies, Freeburg Community High School, Freeburg, Illinois. Fall 2025 graduate.
If you want to see what your kids are capable of, get into this program. Mrs. Massing, Social Studies, Grayslake Central High School, Grayslake, Illinois. Fall 2025 graduate.
I had so many kids speak up. Kids I hardly ever hear from. Ms. Thomas, Social Studies, Alton High School, Alton, Illinois. Fall 2025 graduate.
For your school or district
How it fits.
A Tier 1 classroom intervention
Preventative, whole-class support built into regular instruction. Nothing is pulled out, and no student is separated from the group.
Aligned with ESSA funding
Qualifies under ESSA Title I, Part A and Title II, so existing funds can carry it.
Continuing-education credit
Illinois educators earn up to 15 CPDU recertification hours.
Graduate credit option
Available through Quincy University for teachers who want it.
Schedules that fit your year
Fall, Winter, and Spring workshops, so you can start on your calendar rather than ours.
At a glance
Educators in grades 5 to 12 · Live trainings, self-paced modules, year-round online learning · Universally designed across subjects, grades, and populations · ESSA Title I, Part A and Title II eligible.
Policy and implementation
Will it work inside your school or district policy?
Can a single school or department adopt this on its own?
Yes. The program runs at any scale, and school-level options are available without district-wide adoption.
Is the certificate program conducted during instructional time?
It runs inside your professional development cycle during approved time, or outside contract hours, depending on district policy.
Are teachers required to work unpaid outside of contract hours?
No. The program can be configured for approved time, with optional district compensation.
What counts toward Illinois CPDUs, and what does not?
CPDU time covers professional learning activities. Classroom implementation is not included.
Why is classroom implementation not counted as CPDU time?
CPDUs are intended for professional learning rather than the act of teaching, which avoids overlap with compensated duties.
Can the program run fully outside school hours if we prefer?
Yes. A one-hour orientation is required, and the remaining work is asynchronous.
Can teachers complete parts of it during school hours if the district allows?
Yes. The asynchronous components can be completed during approved work time.
How do you document participation for accountability or audit?
Through Zoom attendance, online submissions, written reflections, and confirmation records.
Does this create compensation or liability issues?
The program is designed to fit several scenarios, and CPDU hours cover professional learning only.
What is the minimum live burden on the school schedule?
Typically a one-hour orientation, plus an optional 30-minute exit interview.
Get started
Bring it to your school.
Classroom conversation is the foundation for critical thinking and respectful engagement. Tell us where you are and we will show you what fits.
We will ask about your calendar, which department would go first, and how your budget cycle works. No pressure and no obligation, just a straight conversation about whether this belongs in your building.
Developed with
An Illinois Department of Human Services grant, in partnership with the Illinois Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities.
We will never share your information. Expect a reply within two business days.