Classroom Discussions

Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn

Classroom Conditions

• It is essential to establish an environment in which students are willing to talk about and discuss their ideas and thoughts

• In our group come up with some group norms and consequences that focus on students obligation to treat each other with respect and student participation: (Use the following conditions as a basis)– Every student listens to what the other is saying– Every student hears what the other says– Every student must participate in discussion at some point

Four Steps Toward Productive Discussions

• Step 1: Helping individual students clarify and share their own thoughts– Students must share thought and responses out loud so that

they are understandable to others• Helping students orient to the thinking of others– Focus on what others are saying

• Helping students deepen their reasoning– Press students for clear mathematical reasoning

• Helping students engage with others’ reasoning– Responding to other’s reasoning– True mathematical discourse

Talk Moves that Help students clarify and share their own thoughts

Say More: asking a student to expand on what he or she saidMake use of when: the student doesn’t say much or is hard to understandQuestion Stems:

Can you say more about that?Tell us more about your thinkingCan you expand on that?Can you give us an example?

Dialogue Example Page 14

Talk Moves that Help students clarify and share their own thoughts

Revoicing: asking as student to verify your interpretation and clarify his or her own thoughts Use when: the clarity of the students answer is unclear to the teacher and studentsStems:

What I think I heard you say is …?Can you verify for me that … is what you

meant?Dialogue Example page 15

Talk Moves that help students to orient to others thinking

Who can Repeat?: asking a student to repeat what has been saidUse When: another student says something important that has not been heard or can contribute to the conversationStems:

Who can restate?Who can put this into their own words?Who can repeat?

Dialogue Example Page 16Note: Always use in a positive way not as a management technique

Talk Moves that deepen their reasoning

Press for reasoning: asking students to explain their thinkingStems:

Why do you thinking that?What is your Evidence?What convinced you that was the answerWhy did you think that strategy would work?Where in the text is their support for that claim?What makes you think that?How did you get that answer?Can you prove that to us?

Dialogue page 17

Talk Moves that help students engage with others’ thinking

Do you agree or disagree… and why?: asking students to apply their own reasoning to an ideaUse When: All students have heard and understood the reasoningStems:

Why do your agree or Disagree?Who has a similar or different idea?Does that make sense to you? Why does that make sense to you?

Dialogue Page 18

Talk Moves that help students engage with others’ thinking

Who can add on?: asking students to add on their own ideasUse When: A student makes a claim that is clear enough for other students to add on toStems:

Who wants to add on?Who wants to respond to that?

Dialogue Page 19Wait Time: Giving students time to think and time to answer

Three Productive Talk Formats

• Talk Format 1: Whole Group• Talk Format 2: Small – Group• Talk Format 3: Partner Talk

Case Studies

• Grade 3 pages 24 - 29• Grade 1 pages 29 – 34• Grade 5 pages 34 – 39