Talk is a powerful teaching tool. And, it is free!
As educators, why might we talk?
to explain
to give instructions
to ask questions
to clarify
to give feedback
and you can keep adding to this list!
We talk with the intent of having an impact on learning.
How might you think about HOW and WHEN you talk to hone this teaching tool?
Let’s start with giving instructions.
On average, how many items do you ‘go through’ something or repeat instructions?
What if… you set yourself the expectation that you will give instructions once. How might you raise the expectations of self-management and responsibility of students when being given and acting on instructions?
First, you might ask yourself WHY you repeat instructions when in reality you know there are a large % of the class who got it the first time and are itching to get on with it. Are you making everyone listen again for the sake of a small group?
Are you repeating because you are not confident you are good at giving instructions? How might you create space for seeking feedback about your talk?
What might that sound and look like? Glad you asked. We call this our Talk Less Move for Instructions. (TLM)
TLM What you are saying and doing | Thinking connected to this move |
TLM 1 "I am going to give these instructions once." | Some students may be in the habit of not listening the first time because they know you are going to repeat the instructions. Give them this info up front and then stick to it. |
TLM 2 "First" (writes number 1) "Do blah blah blah" (writes key words or draws symbol) | Yes - that said ‘write’. As you write the key word or visual you are providing silence and for some students, that is going to make them listen more. Crazy huh! And, they can refer back to it which means you are talking less and they are self-managing more! Winner! (If you have written the instructions on a slide then can the students read the instructions and you actually don’t need to explain them? They read, you skip to Talk Less Move 4 and carry on.) |
TLM 3 PAUSE (count to 7 in your head) Repeat for whatever number of steps. | More silence. Seven is a long time. What are you doing during this time? Staring off to a spot in the distance? Nope. You are scanning the faces of your students. You are seeking visual feedback that you are being clear. What are your students doing? Processing what you have just communicated. |
TLM 4 "Have I given the instructions clearly?" | You are the person responsible for implementing the teaching tool of talk. So, check you are doing it well. |
TLM 5 "Turn to your partner. Tell them the things they need to do (think about, say….)" | Now is your chance to listen in. Who is clear, who is looking at what you have written, who is looking a little puzzled. Don’t act - just watch. You want to leave the responsibility with the learners - not swoop in and save them. See Micro Move #1 for ways to develop partner talk. |
TLM 6 "Anything I could make clearer?" | Here is another chance for students to take responsibility. Is there any information they still need? DO NOT now repeat all the pieces (not even just quickly, just in case). You said you were only going to give them once! Mean it! |
TLM 7 "Off you go, get started, begin…" (whatever your call to action is) | DO NOT move. DO NOT now go to the students who you suspect are not clear. DO NOT keep talking. DO NOT repeat the instructions. Count to 100 if you have to. Stay where you are. Observe. Give yourself feedback - What was the impact of talking less? What was the impact of these Talk Less Moves? When you hear “I don’t know what to do” or “I don’t know what to do next” gesture to the visual instructions. Ask them for specifics about what they are not clear about - “Which part aren’t you clear about?” Is someone sitting there not getting started after your count to 100? Say, “I see you haven’t got started. Everything OK?” and wait for their response. Even better if you have set up strategies for if they are stuck. See this Micro Move for ways to teach students to get unstuck. |
TLM 8 Reflect | Ask yourself: Anyone not believe you were only going to give the instructions once? Teacher Word Tally? Talk Time Tally? See Micro Move #7 Manageable number of instructions? Student self-management and responsibility? |
Worth a try?
As we said before, talk is a powerful teacher tool. It is also a powerful student tool for learning.
What goals might you set for your talk?
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