No Pens Day Wednesday - The Communication Trust

Teachers’ Activity Pack
10 key principles of effective talk
No Pens Day
Wednesday
28 September
2011
1. Allow pupils time to think
about information given, refine
what they want to say, express
their thoughts and reveal their
misunderstandings
Use the 10 second
rule – wait around 10
seconds after asking a
question before prompting
pupils for an answer
2. Give opportunities for pupils
to talk to a partner or in a
group, to encourage pupils to test
understanding, put new knowledge
into their own words and/or to
clarify thoughts before they’re
asked to produce a piece of writing
3. Support vocabulary
development by using strategies
to explicitly teach the meaning and
use of key words for learning (words
like compare, analyse and define)
and for subject specific vocabulary
4. Model ways of using language
so that children learn by example,
use language that enables
collaborative working, discussion,
rational argument and negotiation.
For example “I see your point,
though let’s try this way too and we
can decide which works best”
5. Encourage thinking by asking
open questions to explore pupils’
ideas, supporting pupils to elaborate
and justify their views, for example
“How did you know that?”
6. Listen as well as talk by
holding back demonstrations or
explanations until the ideas of
some students have been heard,
by allowing pupils’ comments to
shift the direction of a discussion
(and even, perhaps, of a lesson!)
7. Set the context by using whole
class discussions to help pupils
see where their study of a topic is
coming from and where it’s going,
for example, using a learning
journey model
8. Support independent learning
by asking pupils to think ‘how am
I going to remember this?’ Give
them opportunities to practise with
a partner
9. Use ground rules of dialogue
for class or group discussions to
support thinking and learning.
A typical set of such ground rules
might include:
• Discuss things together
• Ask everyone for their opinion
• Ask for reasons why
• Listen to people
• Be prepared to change your mind
• Think before you speak
• Respect other people’s ideas –
don’t just use your own
• Share all the ideas and
information you have
• Make sure the group agrees after
talking
10. Encourage children and
young people to say when
they’ve not understood –
acknowledge the importance of
making mistakes and of seeking
clarification when unsure
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