Reflection of Teacher vs Student Talk

A Look at Teacher Vs Student Talk

The Lesson
The lesson I filmed for this weeks assignment was the summary discussion at the end of
a math lesson on solving and representing story problems. I had students exchange their work
with someone next to them, then try and figure out how that person had solved the problem
based on their mathematical representations (something we have been working on and aligned
with the teaching point of the days lesson). After some purposeful private reasoning time, they
were asked to try and explain what they thought their partner had done, to which their partner
would either confirm or reject their explanation. They were also prompted to try and compare
each others thinking.
Teacher Talk Time Vs Student Talk Time
Throughout the course of the 8 minute portion of my whole group math lesson, I talked to
the students (using questions, examples, modeling my thinking and giving directions)
approximately 30% of the time. My students talked (via responding and primarily during a turn
and talk) about 45% of the time, with the remainder being crucial wait time/transition time.
Students are given, on average, one second or less to think, consider their ideas, and respond
(Cazden, 2001); the brighter students are given longer to respond than the less able, and thus
those students who need most the wait time are least likely to get itMore effort needs to be
given to framing questions that are worth askingones that open the dialogue in the classroom
so that teachers can hear students suggested strategies (Hattie, 2012, p. 84).
Teacher Prompts & Questions
Below are examples of questions and prompts given that allowed for more purposeful
student talk during this discussion summary:

Reflection on Teacher vs Student Talk

1. Can you tell how your partner approached the problem?

2. Did they justify their answer?
3. Was more of a statement/challenge: Please revoice what you understood
from looking at your partners paper.
4. What about here? I need some clarificationreread a part of a students
work here to focus student attention on a particular aspect of her work.
5. How could we show this so it would be more clear?
6. Can you compare what you two did?
7. How do you know? Can you justify it?
Student Engagement
I believe that by putting the students in the drivers seat by having them evaluate another
students work and then to try and explain that to them resulted in the most student engagement,
as it gave them purpose and let them take on another role. This took away from me being the one
to decide whether a student showed their work effectively and put it all in the students hands.
The effects of peers on learning is high (d=0.52)Peers can influence learning by helping,
tutoring, providing friendship, giving feedback, and making class and school a place to which
students want to come each day (Wilkinson, Parr, Fung, Hattie, & Townsend, 2002) (Hattie,
2012, p. 87). This point is further reinforced in the article, What is Peer Learning and Why is it
Important?: Students learn a great deal by explaining their ideas to others and by participating
in activities in which they can learn from their peers (Boud, 2002, para. 3). The paragraph goes
on to state that, They develop skills in organizing and planning learning activities, working
collaboratively with others, giving and receiving feedback and evaluating their own learning.
However, this exercise was only possible after having previously scaffolded the learning
just as Hattie continues on page 88, Cooperative learning is most powerful after the students
have acquired sufficient surface knowledge to then be involved in discussion and learning with
their peersusually in some structured manner (2012). Thus, this particular learning activity
took place after numerous whole group discussions, modeling, practicing with their own work,

Reflection on Teacher vs Student Talk

etc. before they were asked to critique a peers work. They needed to be knowledgeable on what
types of strategies are possible and the various ways in which they can be represented.
Future Adjustments
Through observation of my lesson and following self-reflection, I noticed that
some students finished talking to each other before others. As I was not able to monitor
all the conversations going on during this time, I think as a next step, I would provide
another question to extend on the first. I could post some of those questions with the
students help and then they could use that as a resource to help them continue and
deepen their conversation in a productive way.
Promoting Student Talk & Engagement
To further support students and teachers in monitoring student and teacher talk beyond
recording and observing is including students in the teaching and learning process. I am a firm
believer in setting up student self-assessments. This can be done to monitor their level of
engagement (for example working levels). Students can be asked to set goals for their level of
talk/engagement prior to and during the lesson, and then again as a reflection tool at the end.
Encouraging students to set goals and reflect on their learning relates back to the ideas described
by Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick in Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind chapter 12 on
the ASCD site: Teachers who promote reflective classrooms ensure that students are fully
engaged in the process of making meaning. They organize instruction so that students are the
producers, not just the consumers, of knowledge (2008, para. 4). Below is an example of
working levels at an elementary level:
4.
3.
2.
1.

Setting an example and showing thinking

Working hard, being respectful, talking about math
Kind of working, but not doing our very best
Not working and not trying

Reflection on Teacher vs Student Talk

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References

Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick. (2008). Chapter 12. Learning Through Reflection. ASCD.
Retrieved January 05, 2017, from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108008/chapters/Learning-ThroughReflection.aspx
Boud, D. (2002). WHAT IS PEER LEARNING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Retrieved
January 05, 2017, from https://web.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Tomprof/postings/418.html
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: maximizing impact on learning. London:
Routledge.