Habits of Discussion

1. Discussion Fundamentals:

• Voice-speak loud enough to be heard
• Tracking-look at the speaker as they talk
• Names-use one another's names when addressing them

Follow on and Prompting

• Always listening, always ready to respond
• Teacher calls on a student to respond to what another student says
• Holds students accountable for listening

Example

• What's Jonas afraid? Keisha?
• He's afraid of pain.
• Develop more David.
• He doesn't really what pain is, how far it can go.
• Add on to that Carlton.
• Well, on page 63 he's talking about...

Sentence Starters

• I understand why you'd say that, but...
• I was thinking of something similar, that...
• And then there was another example of that...
• The thing that doesn't take into account is...
• I want to build on what you said...

Managing the Meta

• Guide the students in the dynamics of building conversation
• How to have the kind of conversation that's most productive
• Model the kind of participation you want
• Providing constant feedback