Next Steps with Academic Conversations: New Ideas for Improving Learning Through Classroom Talk

by Jeff Zwiers

Jeff Zwiers, an educational researcher at Stanford University, has spent the last 15 years analyzing classroom conversations to see how they can be better used and improved in classroom settings. Teachers who have worked with him report significant growth in students’ engagement, content learning, language, creativity, and sense of agency.

Jeff shared his initial vision for classroom conversations in his 2011 book, Academic Conversations. In this follow-up book, Next Steps with Academic Conversations, he builds on those original ideas by offering:


an updated synthesis of conversation work across disciplines and grade levels


highlights of the most recent classroom-based research and theory on classroom conversation


answers to questions that have emerged during this work with teachers and administrators


new classroom strategies and practices for fostering and assessing classroom conversations


This resource is the product of his extensive research, co-teaching, and collaborating with a wide range of educators. It was written for busy teachers who want a practical guide for strengthening the quality and quantity of productive conversations in their lessons. 

208 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2019

Reviews

[Cassie Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both my HS and MS SS leaders selected this for our annual book study. It builds nicely in the discourse work we've been doing for a few years, some of which was based in Zwiers' first book. It breaks the skills down nicely, but my leaders seem to especially appreciate all the explicit strategies and examples of students conversations throughout it.

[Jen Lemery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of a book club, which I think is important to take apart the ideas presented in order to make them manageable for today’s classroom. Thought provoking for sure.