Examining and Enhancing Academic Classroom Talk

1. What Do You Mean?
Examining and Enhancing Classroom Talk
Josh Benjamin
ELL Coordinator – Lawrence (MA) Public Schools

2. Traditional Model for Classroom Talk
Pre-Response Response Post-Response
?
The
answer
is…
That’s right!
No, not
quite.

3. Teacher Moves
Pre-Response
 Ask the right question.
Post-Response
 Listen.
 Dig.
 Clarify.
 Wait.
 Transfer.
 Name.
 Evaluate.

4. Aspirational Model for Classroom
Talk
Pre-Response Response Post-Response
?
I notice
that…
I’m thinking
about my next
move…
Thoughtful
response

5. 3 Question Types (Blosser 1973, 2000)
 Managerial
 Closed
Open
Pre-Response: Ask the Right
Question

6. To keep the classroom operations moving.
 Is anyone missing a dry-erase marker?
 Could you please turn and face the calendar so we
can start Morning Meeting?
Managerial

7. To check the retention of previously learned information or concepts. There is
usually less than a handful of answers.
-Closed questions are valuable, in moderation. They build confidence and provide
starting points for discussion.
 What does it mean when the character says she “has a heavy heart?” – Oh,
now I understand the character’s words, which will help me articulate the
character’s feelings!
 Which part of a plant takes up water from the soil?—Got it!!! Now I feel
confident to take a risk on open questions later.
 Should Amos have gone out on the boat?—The only answers are “yes” or
“no,” but there are a million ways to extend the “yes” or “no” into a
conversation.
Closed

8. To promote discussion or student interaction; to stimulate
student thinking.
 Would you want Frederick to join our class?
 Nope, the Earth stays still and the sun moves around it.
Praise me if I’m right, correct me if I’m wrong.
 Why do I think that this character is mischievous?
 How are rivers and oceans different?
 When you added 29 and 46, why did you write “1” in the
tens place?
Open

9. When?
Ask lots of questions when…
 Activating background
knowledge.
 Leading guided practice.
 Guiding reflection on
behavior.
 Probing student thinking
during independent practice
Ask few questions when…
 Explicitly teaching new
material (strong content
instruction will lead to
better questions and
answers later)
 Explicitly teaching
expectations

10. What students say, in response to a question or
stimulus:
 Turn and talk
 Exploratory conversation
 Multiple student voices
 Time to think, consider, and hypothesize
Response

11.  Listen.
 Dig.
 Clarify.
 Wait.
 Transfer.
 Name.
 Evaluate.
Post-Response

12.  Hear what the student is saying (and not saying).
 Don’t interrupt.
 “Yo, Imma let you finish but…” –Kanye West
Listen

13.  STEP prompts
 “Tell me more.”
 “What in the story/graph/photograph/word problem
makes you think that?”
 “Why is that important?”
 “Why do you think that?
 “Do you want to say more?”
 Non-verbal cue
Dig

14.  “Oh, so you’re saying that…?”
 “I don’t really understand what you’re saying. Could
you try that again?”
Clarify

15.  Wait.
 Don’t talk.
 Don’t let other students have a turn.
 Sing “Baa baa, black sheep, have you any wool?” in
your head.
Wait

16.  “Raise your hand if you agree with Brayden. OK
Brayden, call on someone.”
 “Raise your hand if you disagree with Emely. Emely,
please call on a friend.”
 “Thanks for sharing your important idea; let’s see
what Allan thinks.”
Transfer

17.  “You just made a text-to-text connection when you
answered that question.”
 “You used evidence from the photograph to come up
with that idea about the water cycle.”
 “Wow, you synthesized two parts of the text to
describe Ferdinand’s character traits.”
Name

18.  “That makes a lot of sense.”
 “I see what you’re saying.”
 “I agree.”
 “I disagree.”
 “You worked really hard to answer that question.”
 “Thanks for sharing your thinking.”
Evaluate

19.  What questions do you have about these teacher
moves?
 Which ones will come the most naturally to you?
 Which ones will be the most challenging?
Questions