Accountable talk

1. Discussant: Sr. Marie Camelle S. Fernando

4. is an intentional open-ended conversation
where participants listen, add on to each other's
comments, and use clarifying questions to make
sure they are understanding what others are
saying.
Accountable talk refers to the type of talk
that moves learning forward.

5. It forces students to really focus in
on what other students are saying.
In order for students to participate
in accountable talk conversations,
listening is a must!

8. In accountable talk, students are
encouraged to challenge and even disagree
(respectfully, of course) with what their peers
are saying.
In return, students learn to back up their
opinions and ideas with facts and details.

9. It's easy for students to
respond to others with "yes,"
"no," or another short response -
or even say nothing at all! But
with accountable talk, students
practice and learn the skills it
takes to have a real conversation
that flows two ways.

10. We all know those students who
just blend in to the conversation, not
adding anything of real value to the
group's discussion.
Accountable talk prompts (as
you'll read about in a minute) provide a
scaffold for students who may not know
how to effectively engage in a
conversation.

11. In accountable talk you're
not just having conversations
that have one answer or one
point of view.
Instead, you're inviting
students to think critically about
what their peers are saying and
respond in meaningful ways.

12. To begin teaching your
students to use this type of
conversation, try using
accountable talk in a whole-
group setting.
Display for students the
different types of phrases that
they can use to keep the
conversation engaging.
You can use FREE POSTERS to
get started.

15. Here are two tips to help your students improve their
accountable talk skills:
Students observing take note about
what is working and what isn't.
The "fish bowl" students carry on
the conversation as if no one else is
listening.
When first trying this, you might want to be
one of the "fish bowl" participants to help guide
the conversation. After the experiment, have a
discussion about what went well and what should
be improved.

16. Then, groups can play back their
conversation and take note of times
that they used accountable talk and
times that they should have.
They can also quickly see if
one student is dominating the
conversation while others are left
out.
Recording the conversation is
also a great way for you to assess
individual students on their
participation and conversational skills.

17. How to interact in a talk
situation can be established
through the development of
‘ground rules’ for talk.
Ground rules set out
the parameters of how
interactions take place, what
to do if there is
disagreement, how to
respectfully challenge and
how to reach an agreement.

18. We will look at the speaker to
show we are listening.
We will use our facial expression
and body language to show we are
listening.
We will contribute at least one
idea to the group discussion.
We will each ask one question
during the group discussion.

19. We will build upon what the group
members say.
We will ask clarifying questions if
we are confused.
We will thank each other for talk
contributions.
We will use polite ways to challenge
speakers with whom we do not
agree.