Substantive Conversations in the Classroom.

e5-Elaborate-The teacher engages students in dialogue, continuously extending and refining students’ understandingsCapabilities

1.Facilitates substantive conversations

2. Cultivates higher order thinking

3. Monitors progress

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The Elaborate Domain- profile statements

• Level 1 The teacher uses strategies to involve all students in focussed conversations

to generate student thinking about the key concepts.• Level 2.

Teachers incorporate wait time to allow the students to consider the ideas and construct their responses. The teacher structures conversations, acknowledging the value of students ideas and using these to build individual and collective understanding. They group children according to the purpose of the conversation.

• Level 3.the teacher negotiates conversational protocols which support all students to make meaningful contributions built on and challenging one another’s ideas.

• Level 4.The teacher structures opportunities for students to sustain a conversation, deepening individual and collective understanding. They support students to critique the intellectual rigour of the conversation.

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Why are Conversations So Important?• Conversations engage learners.• Conversations allow us to engage the

children in their own learning.• Engaging children in conversations

and listening to their ideas gives them a voice in our classrooms.

• Conversations show we value and respect children’s thinking and learning.

• Children feel more connected to and therefore participate more fully in all kinds of learning experiences.

• Talking allows ideas and vocabulary to grow.

• When children listen to others their thinking grows.

• Participating in substantive conversations gives children the opportunities to practise and use skills in questioning, reflecting, planning, evaluating and to make connections to essential skills for learning.

• Conversations allow children to develop a view of themselves as people who have positive contributions to make to the world around them.

• Children find more purpose in learning experiences that explore their own ideas about things through conversations.

• Children are motivated, through conversations, to search and find answers to their questions to build their own understanding.

• Teachers benefit from conversations by increasing insight into children’s understandings, ideas and confusions.

• Teachers use this knowledge to help plan an engaging and challenging learning environment for the children in their class.

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When we allow children to have substantive conversations

we have classrooms that:- • Learners voices are heard the most• Teachers talk to seek to discover children’s ideas• Children talk to each other.• Conversations stretch children’s thinking• Children’s interests, explorations and questions are connected.

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To allow substantive conversations to take place we need to:-

• Provide time and space for conversations throughout the day.• Encourage conversations between children as well as between teacher

and child/ren.• Share interest in children’s thinking and ideas by listening intently.• Document conversations and use them to reveal learning.• REMEMBER

• Talk organizes thinking• Language reveals prior knowledge• Conversations provide a context for

social learning.

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Conversations can be

Facilitated

1. Help make connections

2. Allow children to explore ideas more fully

3. The teacher takes amore active role

4. Allows teacher to talk and listen to conversations / ideas around a particular topic

Spontaneous This form of conversation is more useful in conversations around

experiences.

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Conversations can be

Whole group• Children’s ideas are stretched by listening to the experiences and ideas of

others.• Children are drawn into conversations by listening to others.• Children use talk to organize their learning and to organize their learning

environment.• Teachers discover possibilities for future learning from listening to children

• Children and teacher have a planned structure for conversation• Immediate responses to questions/ concerns• Children demonstrate a greater respect for others ideas and work.• Children interact more with one another and co operation increases• Children seek help from one another.

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Conversations can be

Small group • Allows for greater participation by all children • Easier to organize• Easier to look deeper into children’s ideas• Provides closer link between conversation and experience• Provides a safe environment for children unsure of large groups• Allows for greater participation for more children

One to one• Allows for a closer relationship between teacher and individual child• Allows time to discover more information child may not have shared in

group situation• Is supportive of children having difficulties• Allows teacher to model positive attitude and interactions with a child

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Facilitating conversations1.Listen carefully

Listen intentlyGive up control of conversation to children

Honour children’s ideasStart small

2.Embrace silenceAllow children time to collect their thoughts

This may allow another child an opportunity to contributeBreaks the cycle of teacher-child-teacher

3. Ask good questionsAsk open ended or fat questions that delve deeper into children’s thinking

Allow for multiple answersConnect experiences or ideas

Clarify and focus ideas

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Facilitating conversations4.Help children develop good conversational skills

Thinking aloudbuilding vocabulary for conversations

Taking turnsStaying on topic

5.Summarize conversationsKeep conversations on track and focussed

6. Use memory toolsReading scribed conversations to children

Recording conversationsPhotographs

Objects as reminders ex. A shell to remind a child of an excursion to the beach.

7. Bring conversations to a close.F.Brown 10

Wait time- Thinking Timechildren need time to think!

• Wait time was first introduced in the 1970’s by Mary Budd Rowe whose research showed the benefits of allowing silence in terms of quality and quantity of learner’s responses.

• With wait time-thinking time children’s answers were longer and had more correct responses, they decreased the number of “I don’t know responses” and more students participated in conversations.

• By allowing children think time you communicate that-thinking is important-it allows young thinkers to take information from others, teacher or child.- it allows time to process information, reflect on it and make connections to their own thinking.

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Wait Time- Think Time in Grade 5/6B 2010

First we looked at why we needed think time-wait time. We reviewed why substantive conversations were important in our classroom

Next we decided what wait time would look like in our classroom and we made up our own class rules.

Then we began to use this strategy all the time. There are no hands up in our classroom because we all know to wait and think first.

Our conversations have become longer, less teacher directed and more children are joining in the conversations.

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Wait Time 5/6 B 2010Wait time ….

• -Gives us more time to think, which leads to better answers and using better vocabulary.

• -Allows everyone time to think• -Gives us an opportunity to

formulate an answer or idea.• -Gives us a chance to find multiple

answers.

• -Gives us more chance to have the ‘right’ answer.

• -Gives us a chance to ‘take a risk’• -Allows everyone to ‘have a go’• -Fast thinkers always get picked-

this way everyone has equal opportunity.

• -Allows more people to a have a say.

• -Allows us time to remember• -Allows us to learn from each

other.• Allows us time to correct our

thinking.• The next slides show you our

class developed anchor charts about wait time.

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ASK GOOD QUESTIONS

A good question should have many answers. This leads to good, substantive conversations. Good questions lead to good answers Questions should be descriptive. This allows for many answers. If we use open questions we have more options for answers. Take time to make up good questions and to answer them. Don’t forget the detail. 

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ALLOW SILENCEClose your eyes. Don’t talk– THINK Allow time to come up with answers. Pause Hands down– no one is to answer straight away. 

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LISTEN CAREFULLYShow you value other people’s opinions. Look at the person who is speaking to you. Make eye contact. If you don’t listen you can’t follow people’s conversations or instructions. It is rude, poor manners if you don’t listen. Don’t fidget. Don’t day dream STOP! Don’t talk over others. Listen and take in what is being said.  F.Brown 16

CONVERSATION SKILLSShow you value other people’s opinions. Look at the person who is speaking to you. Make eye contact. If you don’t listen you can’t follow people’s conversations or instructions. It is rude, poor manners if you don’t listen. Don’t fidget. Don’t day dream STOP! Don’t talk over others. Listen and take in what is being said. 

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