Teacher’s To-do List for Instructional Conversation
- Arrange the classroom to accommodate conversation between the teacher and a small group of students on a regular and frequent schedule.
- Have clear academic goal that guides conversation with students.
- Ensure that students talk occurs at higher rates than teacher talk.
- Guide conversation to include students’ views, judgements, and rationales, using text evidence and other substantive support.
- Ensure that all students are included in the conversation according to their preferences.
- Listen carefully to access levels of students’ understanding.
- Assist students’ learning throughout the conversation by questioning, restating, praising, encouraging, and so forth.
- Guide the students to prepare a product that indicates the goal of the instructional conversation was achieved.
Source: Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (1999).
