I love this simple technique – it develops listening, values student talk, and boosts engagement.
Photo: David Trent
When a pupil says something in whole-class discussion, resist the urge to repeat it yourself. Instead, ask:
‘What did he say?’
The class then chorally repeats.
That’s it.
As well as developing active listening, raising the status of pupil talk and building accountability, this balances the talk in the room so that it’s not only you ‘amplifying’.
For maximum impact, use this technique selectively, when you want to signal: this idea matters – listen to it.
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