Episode 9: Discussion Strategies - Tips and Tricks

Episode SummaryWe’ve officially hit Episode 9! In this week’s chat, we dive into one of the trickiest parts of classroom life: getting students to actually talk—and not just surface talk. Even when they’re socially chatty, academic conversation doesn’t always follow. Nichole shares how her class often falls silent (“crickets”) when it’s time to turn the talk into thinking. Annie’s class, meanwhile, is full of energy (one day they even broke into song in math!). We unpack all of that and then dig into real-world strategies you can try this week…A quick heads up - Off Task Teachers are going to be very off task in the month of December! We will be on hiatus, but will be back in early January with more teaching ideas and strategies! If you need your OTT fix, click here to listen to all of our past episodes!Topics Discussed & LinksDifferent strategies to promote classroom discussion:-Think-Pair-Share and “Turn and Talk”-Talking Chips Kagan Strategy-Socratic Seminars-Chalk TalksTeaching discussion norms explicitly-Modeling for students-Setting discussion expectations-Using sentence starters or specific questions-Link to Nichole’s Number Talk Discussion Questions and PromptsSubscribe to the ShowMake sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.Let’s ConnectFollow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!*please note- some links included in this blog are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link and purchase. This commission helps us keep this podcast going! Thank you for your support. :) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit offtaskteachers.substack.com