Teaching Talk: A Practical Guide to Fostering Student Thinking and Conversation

by Kara Pranikoff

Talk is part of every classroom, regardless of grade, content area, or school location. So how can teachers harness the energy of talk to spark discussion, strengthen student dialogue, and deepen comprehension? Teaching Talk is a practical resource that will help you focus your lens on classroom talk, making the most of the student voices and ideas that are already part of your classroom, and increasing the potential for learning. Kara Pranikoff offers suggestions and strategies that can be used immediately, starting with a comprehensive list of questions to help teachers assess and reflect on student talk. Each chapter addresses an element of classroom talk along with concrete examples to help Conversation is the currency of most ideas in the world. With Teaching Talk as your guide, you'll help students develop the skills they need to be inquisitive, independent, and critical thinkers in all aspects of their lives.

168 pages, Paperback

Published April 5, 2017

Reviews

[anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the tone of an informed and encouraging friend, this book urges educators to broaden student-led conversation in the classroom (particularly regarding literature - though this could be expanded to other subjects) with concrete and practical suggestions. Includes a section on book clubs and particularly helpful discussions about developing independent thinking and moving to whole-class discussion.

Armed with a cheerleader, well-researched pedagogy, book suggestions, assessment tools, progressively more sophisticated talking formats, methods for reflection, concrete strategies, and an emphasis on talking as well as listening, this resource provides everything educators need to take the sometimes scary plunge into student-led conversation.

[Heather Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish we had more time during a normal school day to talk to students. We used this book as part of our elementary school professionally development. We brought it down into the chapters that related to core teacher verses specialist and other professionals. We meet monthly to discuss the book. We all found ourselves trying to allow more time for student response. One activity we all did was to record ourselves teaching and reflect on how we felt about that. I realized it was more the teacher talking and that student talking needed to increase. When I look back on my own education and even the teaching conferences I go to these days, I learn the most when others talk rather than the instructor. They are able to share ideas and often we get further ideas than just what was presented. This is true for elementary students as well. Great read. I would do it again. In fact, rather than another new book I would like to read this again.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is easy to read, well-researched, and left me with ideas to incorporate right away as well as ponder for future use.