Did you know that instructional conversations that elicit student talk accelerate student achievement, especially for English learners? 

Sometimes teachers talk a great deal in the presence of ELs and other special needs students because they are concerned about content “coverage” or student behavior. There are some simple steps you can take to help all students talk more to learn more.

The research: how student talk fosters learning

Experimental research (Saunders & Goldenberg, 2009) demonstrates that students who talk more learn more when that talk is focused on higher-order thinking. 

A strong feature of this research is that a natural means of assessing student growth was used — the post-discussion essay. Research methods used reveal precisely how the authors analyzed the quantitative and qualitative aspects of their approach. 

The study is unusual because it uses an experimental approach in the classroom to test the efficacy of instructional conversations. Part of its value is that it tested the technique in a manner that kept the experiences of the control and experimental groups distinct from one another and internally consistent.

In the research, a fourth grade teacher used a technique the authors call instructional conversations (a more conceptual term for student talk) in a class of predominantly English learners. 

Students in the experimental group that emphasized open-ended questioning and encouraged student-initiated talk performed better on a content-focused essay compared to students engaged in a recitation-based lesson. The essay results that measured student growth in this study revealed both better comprehension of prior reading and more nuanced and complex understanding of the focal content. 

When students formulate original thoughts and express them orally under a teacher’s guidance, learning is enhanced — for English learners and for all students.

Instructional conversations are powerful generators of student learning. This conclusion is robust and applicable beyond the specific grade level and content within which the research took place. Any teacher could adapt and simplify the method to conduct action research on “tracers” (a term from the research) that are indicative of students’ use of academic language specific to a particular content area.

Generating Instructional Conversations

Instructional conversations are set up with direct instruction that prepares students with sufficient content knowledge to answer open-ended questions. The setup may consist of readings, exercises, teacher presentation, videos, review, or some combination. 

An instructional conversation takes place through multiple, sequenced discussion moves. What matters most is that the conversation builds from simple to complex and/or from pairs to small groups to large group to encourage student participation and deepen learning. 

Here are three moves you might try in an upper-elementary social studies lesson that could be adapted and modified to fit any classroom or content:

1. “Talk with a partner about how your family came to live in your neighborhood.”

This prompt opens up student experience as a foundation for discussion and a motivator. Rather than have students “report out,” build on the knowledge and experience students accessed in pairs for the small group work that follows.

2. “In groups of four, describe to each other… (1) where your family shops for groceries, (2) where your parents go during the day (stay home, work location, etc.), and (3) where you go after school. After everyone has shared, identify common advantages and disadvantages of your group’s neighborhoods.”

This group discussion supports thinking more deeply about students’ social and economic settings. 

Students are now prepared for the heaviest lift of the discussion. They will apply their experience and prior instruction to an analysis of their own situation. 

Addressing this question as a whole group helps spotlight students individually, maximizes whole-class learning from the first two stages, and gives feedback to the teacher on how much students have learned.

3. “As a whole class, I would like to extend our conversation to learn how you would apply what we have figured out from reading about consumers and producers to how your family lives in your neighborhood. If you need help remembering details let me know. Here is my big question: How does your family benefit from its consumption and its production?”

The intent of this whole class discussion is to help students discover how they and their families fit into a socio-economic system. It could surface some profound issues regarding equity and opportunity. Follow-ups and prompts would naturally occur during the whole group discussion.

Our example here is very specific so that it is vivid and easily understood. We encourage you to use the example to stimulate your creativity as you structure instructional conversations for your own classroom.

Pairing data with personalized coaching helps facilitate instructional conversations in the classroom

At TeachFX, we emphasize the importance of student talk as a means of generating student engagement and deeper learning.

The TeachFX app automatically provides teachers with feedback on talk ratio, lesson design, the effects of questioning techniques, and other instructional practices that contribute to high impact strategies such as instructional conversations. These kinds of teacher moves create more equitable classrooms, generate more student-to-student discussion, and extend learning. 

Given the number of things a teacher’s attention must be focused on at any one time, it’s nearly impossible to objectively measure what’s really happening in the classroom. TeachFX provides teachers with insights about how talk moves like the above are working in the classroom, through objective data delivered directly to each teacher.

And, we pair the technology with personalized coaching for our partners’ teachers to help develop goals, identify obstacles, build pedagogical content knowledge, and strengthen student-centered instruction.

If you’d like to learn more about partnering with TeachFX, contact our team.