Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay
Teacher talk is so useful – for explaining, modelling and so on.
Teacher listening is equally as useful.
At a key moment, during whole-class dialogue, try a few minutes where you don’t speak. Listen to what your students are, or aren’t, understanding.
Resist stepping in. Instead, try scribing or making notes to support your listening, and to demonstrate you’re listening carefully.
Use what you heard. Go back to something someone said, to clarify or deepen learning.
Speaker chooses
Use ‘Speaker Chooses’ so that students pass on the talk to each other without you needing to be involved.
If a few minutes seems too long, try first listening to three student comments before you comment. You might then increase to four or five.
Try this once a day for a week and see how you get on.
