Checklist: Goals for Productive Discussions and Nine Talk Moves
| Goal One: Help Individual students share, expand and clarify their own thinking | Notes/Frequency of Use |
|---|---|
1. Time to Think:
- Partner Talk
- Writing as Think Time - Wait Time |
|
2. Say More:
“Can you say more about that?”
“What do you mean by that?” “Can you give an example?” |
|
3. So, Are You Saying...?:
“So, let me see if I’ve got what you’re saying. Are you saying...?”
(always leaving space for the original student to agree or disagree and say more) |
|
| Goal Two: Help Students listen carefully to one another | |
4. Who Can Rephrase or Repeat?
“Who can repeat what Javon just said or put it into their own words?”
(After a partner talk) “What did your partner say?” |
|
| Goal Three: Help Students deepen their reasoning | |
5. Asking for Evidence or Reasoning:
“Why do you think that?”
“What’s your evidence?“ “How did you arrive at that conclusion?” |
|
6. Challenge or Counterexample:
“Does it always work that way?”
“How does that idea square with Sonia’s example?” “What if it had been a copper cube instead?” |
|
| Goal Four: Help Students think with others | |
7. Agree/Disagree and Why?:
“Do you agree/disagree? (And why?)”
“What do people think about what Ian said?” “Does anyone want to respond to that idea?” |
|
8. Add On:
“Who can add onto the idea that Jamal is building?”
“Can anyone take that suggestion and push it a little further?” |
|
9. Explaining What Someone Else Means:
“Who can explain what Aisha means when she says that?”
“Who thinks they could explain why Simon came up with that answer?” “Why do you think he said that?” |
The Goals and Talk Moves are available in pdf format.
