TALK MOVES
We all know that it’s important to ask probing, high order questions to challenge students to think and to check for understanding. But how do you ask questions in a way that encourages students to think, and in a way that is different from randomly calling on students who raise their hands? How do you encourage the shy, quiet student? How do you know that your students know? And how do you provide a safe environment that encourages students to take risks in answering those probing and high order questions? You can do this by using “Talk Moves.”
In the book Classroom Discussions Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn, the authors encourage teachers to use “Talk Moves” to “support students’ thinking and reasoning in mathematics.” However, these “Talk Moves” are excellent strategies to use in all subject areas, not just in mathematics.
Some Talk Moves are:
• Revoicing: asking students to restate someone else’s reasoning; repeat it
• Agree/Disagree: ask students to apply their own reasoning to someone else’s reasoning by agreeing or disagreeing and justifying their response
• Adding On: prompting students for further participation by adding on to someone else’s response
• Wait Time: encouraging students to take their time; encouraging students to “think on it”.
Check out this video from author Catherine O’Connor as she explains each of these Talk Moves.
WORD GENERATOR
