Principles of Productive talk

In Chapter 8 of “Classroom Discussion” lots of practical advice about who to implement Math talks effectively. I loved how they recognized that this approach to math learning is not miraculous overnight improvement plan for any student but that the results typically take years to show. Of the 5 principles the book offered to ensure the math conversations are productive, I can’t say that I find any of them to come naturally.

I highly value the concept of establishing and maintaining a respectful supportive Environment (Principle 1), but to be honest I am still trying to figure out how to do that in my placement class. You can’t force a child to be respectful if he or she doesn’t want to be. The best I know how to do is positively encourage them to practice respect or remove them from the group. For me, and I suspect for most teachers, this is the hardest part of teaching in general.

I like however, that the book did not encourage teachers to start with Principle 1 but actually to start with Principle 4 (Explaining Your Expectations About New Forms of Talk). Before you can establish and maintain a respectful environment you have to clearly communicate the expectation you have for your students. This may include expectations for new forms of talks but also for behavior in general. Another thing I appreciated about chapter 8 was the checklist at the end where the principles were broken down in to 3-4 tangible questions that help you gauge whether or not a principle is being met. For example for Principle 4 they ask if new talk moves or formats are started by clearly explaining what students are expected to do and why it is beneficial. They also ask if there are any signs that these expectations need to be revisited in regards to familiar Talks or formats.