Classroom Talk, Discussion, and Academic Discourse 

When students explain, question, and argue about ideas out loud, they deepen their

understanding and practice academic language. Structured talk routines make sure that

many students, not just a few, get to do the heavy thinking in class. 

Why this matters 

•         Students deepen understanding when they explain, question, and argue about ideas out loud, not just listen or complete worksheets. 

•         Research on dialogic and academically focused talk links these practices to gains in language, reasoning, and content learning. 

What it is 

•         Academic discourse: purposeful talk about ideas using subject-specific vocabulary, evidence, and reasoning. 

•         Structured discussion: routines and norms (for example, think-pair-share, Socratic seminar) that ensure many students participate-not just a few. 

Key classroom moves 

•         Use planned talk routines every day (for example, turn-and-talk after a key question). 

•         Ask open questions that require explanation, comparison, or justification instead of one-word answers. 

•         Teach and display sentence stems that help students agree, disagree, and build on ideas respectfully. 

•         Actively monitor who is talking; prompt quieter students and limit over-participation by a few voices. 

•         Connect student comments back to the learning target and key vocabulary.  

•          

Implications by grade 

Grades K–2

•         Use pair and small-group sharing with simple stems (“I noticed…”, “I think…”). 

•         Have students retell stories or explain how they solved a problem to a partner. 

Grades 3– 5

•         Introduce accountable talk stems and practice them in whole-group discussions. 

•         Use small-group discussions before whole-group share outs so more students have a chance to talk. 

Grades 6– 8

•         Plan regular structured discussions (Socratic seminars, debates, math talks) with clear roles and expectations. 

•         Ask students to reference the text, data, or diagrams when they speak. 

Grades 9– 12

•         Use seminar-style discussions around complex texts, lab results, or historical issues. 

•         Teach explicit norms for academic disagreement and require evidence- based reasoning in discussions. 

References 

Mercer, N., & Dawes, L. (2014). The study of talk between teachers and students, from

the 1970s until the 2010s. Oxford Review of Education, 40(4), 430 –445.