1. Establishing a
Culture of
Communication
Engaging Students
in Talk
Trainer:Neeru Kumari

2. Let us find out …
• Asking questions and posing
problems
• Voicing ideas using evidence
• Listening to others
• Monitoring for rigor
• Responding to different ideas
• Constructing understanding

3. During the sessions with
the class, norms and
procedures need to be
established to create a
culture for talk.

4. These norms and
procedures need to be
posted and revisited often.

5. Provide students with
opportunities to practice
the types of rigorous
discussions in which you
expect them to engage.

6. Like anything
new that we
learn,
discussions
need to be
modeled and
practiced!
Begin slowly…
*Creating a culture of talk can
begin with partners, small
groups, or the whole group.
*The first discussions in your
classroom should emphasize
the discussion process, rather
than the content.
*Debrief to determine what
worked/didn’t work in the
discussion.

7. What are some ways
to model and
practice
norms and procedures?

8. Select a topic for the students to
discuss:
*Ask two students to model a “partner share” using the established
norms and procedures.
*Practice active listening by asking one student to summarize
what another student said.
*Ask a group of students to “fishbowl” a
discussion, stopping frequently to talk with the
rest of the class about what they see and
hear.

9. After modeling or practicing has
occurred, ask the class what they
noticed about the discussion
process.
This helps students think
beyond the topic to how
a rigorous discussion
occurs.

10. Pose a problem around
content – a math
concept, a dilemma
posed in a piece of
literature, a hypothesis…

11. When a few students raise their hands to
respond, the teacher can send a message
about the kind of classroom culture and the kind
of learning that’s going to occur in the class by
responding with something like:
“ I see Keshav has his hand up with an idea and I see that Vikash
and Renu have ideas.
I want to hear all of your ideas but I want you to remember that it’s
not just me you’re sharing with; it’s everyone in the class. So,
speak up so everyone can hear your idea. If you don’t have your
hand up, your job is to listen to the ideas your
classmates are sharing and decide if you agree or
disagree with what they are saying. “

12. How do I help my
students develop
effective
communication skills?

13. Turn and Talk strategy is useful
when lots of students have ideas to
share.
The teacher says: “Turn to your
neighbor/partner and tell them what
your thoughts are about….”

14. Journal Jot is a strategy teachers use
when they want to give students an
opportunity to collect and write
their thoughts before sharing them
out with the class. The teacher says:
“Take a few minutes to write your
thoughts about….”

15. Value Line Up is a strategy used by teachers when
they want students to appreciate the differing views
people have around a variety of topics/issues. The
teacher says: “I’d like you to form a line across the front
of the classroom. If you strongly agree, stand
near this end of the line based on how strong your belief
is. If you disagree, do the same at the
opposite end of the line.”

16. Choose A Side is similar to Value Line
Up. But, in this case, the teacher simply
asks students to choose a side of the
room to sit on that coincides with their
beliefs about a rigorous topic or problem.
During the ensuing discussion, students
are invited to move to the other side of
the room if a point made during the
discussion sways their view.

17. Pass the Hat is a strategy teachers use
to encourage students who might
otherwise be hesitant to ask questions
they have about complex ideas to pose
these to the class. The teacher says: “I’m
passing a hat around the room. Place
questions you would like the class to
address in the hat.”

18. Bell Ringers
At the beginning of the class, the teacher posts
an open-ended question/ problem on the
blackboard for students to work on
independently and then talk with a partner/small
group about. This talk is a way to launch the
lesson; students engage in critical thinking
around a concept they will be working with
during the day’s learning.

19. Role Play is a way to provide practice for
behaviors the teacher wants the class to
engage in. Sometimes this is done in “fishbowl”
style with a group of students acting out a
strategy, norm or procedure in front of the class
with the teacher stopping the action frequently
to talk about what the class is seeing/hearing.

20. How do I ensure
that students are
improving their
communication
skills?

21. What makes this an
opportunity for
learning?

22. The teacher can accept student ideas and
“give them a try” for a few days,
directing students who disagree to use
the protocol developed by the class.
The teacher might model the type of
interactions they are hoping for the
students to engage in.

23. The students gain a better
understanding of one
another’s point of view
while learning important
social communication
skills.

24. How can I make talk
equitable in the
classroom?

25. Not all students are comfortable sharing
their ideas in a public forum. You need to
decide if it’s okay for them to be engaged
through just listening. They might later
share their understandings one on one
or in writing.
Some teachers…

26. *Call on students with hands up
*Pull chits with names on
*Write names on a sheet of paper, as students raise hands,
acknowledging with a nod that they wrote the name
down. This frees the student to lower their hand and
listen until the teacher calls on them. Students learn to jot
ideas down so they don’t forget them. When called on,
they say something like “I want to respond to what
Keshav said a few minutes ago about ….” Or, “I was going to
make a point about….. but Vicky already did.”

27. Are there tools the
students can use
independently to
make talk equitable?

28. Some teachers:
• What will you do in this situation?
• What criterion will you adopt?
• How will you motivate the students to
express their thought?

29. How do I encourage
students to develop
their ideas?

30. Prepare Ahead of Time:
Developing open-ended, higher level questions before the
discussion helps to develop critical thinking skills. Bloom’s
Taxonomy is a great resource to learn how to write questions.
Assigning a reading, math problem, or science
experiment before the discussion and telling the
students they’ll be expected to share their under-
standings with one another helps them come prepared with
their ideas in their heads or jotted down .
Learning how to “press” students to explain or develop their
ideas helps to deepen their understanding.

31. “Teacher press”

32. Teacher Press Examples:
Teacher Press refers to
really listening to your
students’ responses and
asking them to “tell me
more” or “say it another
way” when their ideas are
unclear or need further
development. New
questions often stem from
these exchanges. These
also serve as places
where students often
agree/disagree with one
another while deepening
content knowledge.
• In what ways could you apply this
learning to a new situation?
• Can you tell me more about…?
• How will you/did you figure out ….?
• Can you help me to see how this is
different/the same as… ?
• I’m fascinated by …. Tell me more.
• What do you mean when you say ….?
• How can you help us understand what
you are thinking?
• Can you think of another way you
might…?
• What are the important ideas or
processes involved in this
problem?

33. For more information
contact at:
+91 9818160811
neeru.kumari1@gmail.com