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Building Bigger Ideas: A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk
Study after study shows that as students grow, they become increasingly focused on technology-driven communication. Cyber-dialogue replaces face-to-face interactions in all aspects of their lives. And yet, has there ever been a greater need for students to learn the art of “talk,” to be able to converse “live” with others, to collaborate, negotiate, and learn from one another? To use talk to think, and to build new ideas?

Maria Nichols guides us beyond teaching students to talk politely about books to teaching them to have meaningful conversations—purposeful talk that serves as a tool for constructing understanding with others. She provides a flexible process that gives teachers a solid foundation in facilitating discussions, allowing them to meet the challenges of unpredictable, exploratory talk in the elementary classroom.  She shows teachers:

  • strategies to address different talk personalities and the dynamic nature of talk

  • specific teaching moves to use when facilitating talk

  • how to use a cycle of focus, facilitation, and feedback to deepen students’ ability with talk

  • important “look-fors” to assess children’s talk with an inquiry mindset.

The voices of children engaged in meaningful classroom conversations are scattered throughout the book, allowing teachers to see how Maria’s strategies work. “What I hope emerges from children’s talk,” Maria writes, “is their brilliance, the depth of thinking and understanding that becomes possible when they engage in purposeful talk, and the sheer joy of dialogic classrooms.”

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Building Bigger Ideas: A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk
Study after study shows that as students grow, they become increasingly focused on technology-driven communication. Cyber-dialogue replaces face-to-face interactions in all aspects of their lives. And yet, has there ever been a greater need for students to learn the art of “talk,” to be able to converse “live” with others, to collaborate, negotiate, and learn from one another? To use talk to think, and to build new ideas?

Maria Nichols guides us beyond teaching students to talk politely about books to teaching them to have meaningful conversations—purposeful talk that serves as a tool for constructing understanding with others. She provides a flexible process that gives teachers a solid foundation in facilitating discussions, allowing them to meet the challenges of unpredictable, exploratory talk in the elementary classroom.  She shows teachers:

  • strategies to address different talk personalities and the dynamic nature of talk

  • specific teaching moves to use when facilitating talk

  • how to use a cycle of focus, facilitation, and feedback to deepen students’ ability with talk

  • important “look-fors” to assess children’s talk with an inquiry mindset.

The voices of children engaged in meaningful classroom conversations are scattered throughout the book, allowing teachers to see how Maria’s strategies work. “What I hope emerges from children’s talk,” Maria writes, “is their brilliance, the depth of thinking and understanding that becomes possible when they engage in purposeful talk, and the sheer joy of dialogic classrooms.”

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Building Bigger Ideas: A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk

Building Bigger Ideas: A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk

by Maria Nichols
Building Bigger Ideas: A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk

Building Bigger Ideas: A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk

by Maria Nichols

Overview

Study after study shows that as students grow, they become increasingly focused on technology-driven communication. Cyber-dialogue replaces face-to-face interactions in all aspects of their lives. And yet, has there ever been a greater need for students to learn the art of “talk,” to be able to converse “live” with others, to collaborate, negotiate, and learn from one another? To use talk to think, and to build new ideas?

Maria Nichols guides us beyond teaching students to talk politely about books to teaching them to have meaningful conversations—purposeful talk that serves as a tool for constructing understanding with others. She provides a flexible process that gives teachers a solid foundation in facilitating discussions, allowing them to meet the challenges of unpredictable, exploratory talk in the elementary classroom.  She shows teachers:

  • strategies to address different talk personalities and the dynamic nature of talk

  • specific teaching moves to use when facilitating talk

  • how to use a cycle of focus, facilitation, and feedback to deepen students’ ability with talk

  • important “look-fors” to assess children’s talk with an inquiry mindset.

The voices of children engaged in meaningful classroom conversations are scattered throughout the book, allowing teachers to see how Maria’s strategies work. “What I hope emerges from children’s talk,” Maria writes, “is their brilliance, the depth of thinking and understanding that becomes possible when they engage in purposeful talk, and the sheer joy of dialogic classrooms.”

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780325098159
Publisher: Heinemann
Publication date: 03/21/2019
Pages: 152
Sales rank: 1,085,659
Product dimensions: 7.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range: 5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Maria Nichols is a literacy consultant and Director of School Innovation for the San Diego Unified School District. A former elementary classroom teacher, Nichols received the Distinguished Elementary Educator Award from the San Diego chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, 2002.

Maria is the author of Comprehension Through Conversation and her latest book, Building Bigger Ideas: A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction: Beginning with the End xii

Chapter 1 Purposeful Talk in the World Beyond School 1

A Snapshot of Purposeful Talk 1

Purposeful Talk in the World Beyond School 2

Talk in Competitive Team Sports 3

Talk in the Innovation Economy 4

Talk in a Cutting-Edge Research Campus 5

Talk in the Affairs of Nations and Peoples 6

Defining Purposeful Talk 8

Visualizing Purposeful Talk 9

Purposeful Talk in the Classroom 13

Chapter 2 A Place for Purposeful Talk to Thrive 17

A Snapshot of Purposeful Talk 17

A Place for Purposeful Talk to Thrive 19

Engaging with Each Other 21

Engaging with Ideas 25

Uptake: The Powerful Outcome of Engaging with Each Other and with Ideas 32

Chapter 3 A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk 35

A Snapshot of Purposeful Talk 35

A Process for Teaching Purposeful Talk 37

Gently Focus 39

Authentically Facilitate 42

Clearly Offer Feedback 44

Moving from Support to Independence 47

Read-Aloud: A Place for Support 47

Reading Workshop: A Place for Independence 49

Predictable Teaching for Unpredictable Talk 51

Chapter 4 Teaching Children to Hear All Voices 55

A Snapshot of Purposeful Talk 55

Why Hearing All Voices Matters 56

Teaching Talk Behaviors for Hearing All Voices 59

Being Silent 59

Reading Facial Expressions 60

Encouraging Tentative Thinking 61

Honoring Questions 62

Using Turn and Talk Purposefully 63

Inviting Others into the Conversation 65

Writing Your Way into the Conversation 66

Facilitative Language Shifts 67

Chapter 5 Teaching Children to Grow Ideas 71

A Snapshot of Purposeful Talk 71

Why Growing Ideas Matters 73

Teaching Talk Behaviors for Growing Ideas: Say Something Meaningful 74

Becoming Aware of Random Thoughts 75

Connecting Thoughts 77

Teaching Talk Behaviors for Growing Ideas: Listen with Intent 78

Becoming Aware of Listening 79

Listening with a Readiness Stance 81

Reflecting as Relistening 82

Teaching Talk Behaviors for Growing Ideas: Keep Lines of Thinking Alive 83

Clarifying 84

Lingering with a Thought 85

Agreeing and Disagreeing 85

Questioning 87

Bundling Thinking 88

Facilitative Language Shifts 89

Chapter 6 Teaching Children to Negotiate Meaning 93

A Snapshot of Purposeful Talk 93

Why Negotiating Meaning Matters 95

Teaching Talk Behaviors for Negotiating Meaning 98

Encouraging Difference 98

Holding on to Competing Theories 99

Talking Between Theories 100

Remaining Flexible 101

Finding Value in Difference 102

Educating for Democracy 102

Facilitative Language Shifts 104

Chapter 7 Assessing Purposeful Talk 109

A Snapshot of Purposeful Talk 109

Keeping the Goal in Mind 110

Developing an Inquiry Mindset for Assessment 112

What Range of Talk Behaviors Am I Noticing, and How Purposeful Are They? 115

What Individual and Collective Patterns of Participation Am I Noticing? 116

What Is the Strength of the Community Around the Talk? 118

What Is the Strength of the Resulting Meaning Making? 119

How Much Facilitation Is Needed? 120

Using Assessment to Make Thoughtful Instructional Decisions 121

Afterword Fear Not! 126

Works Cited 129

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