Routine 01
Turn and Talk
The base routine: write, talk, listen with a job, revise alone.
Structured partner talk
Make turn-and-talk do real work.
Two students can read their answers to each other, say “yeah,” and turn back around. Everybody talked. Nothing happened. These routines give partner talk a structure students can run without thinking about it, so their attention goes to the idea.
The format
Five steps, the same every time
When the routine never changes, students stop spending attention on the procedure.
Think and write first
One to two silent minutes: a tentative idea and one piece of evidence. Nobody walks into the talk empty.
Ask a question that needs a partner
If it has one right answer, it's a quiz. Ask students to explain, choose, rank or evaluate.
Same roles, same time
Partner A talks and B listens, then they switch.
Give the listener a job
“So you're saying…” or “Which detail makes you think that?” One job at a time.
Give the idea back
Everyone writes again: “I changed my answer because…” or “I kept my answer, but now I can explain…”
While they talk: circulate and listen. Don't rescue every conversation. Bring two ideas you heard back to the class.
Routines
Four routines, ready for tomorrow
Each one runs on the smartboard with a timer and comes with a two-page printable.
Routine 02
QSSSA
Question, Signal, Stem, Share, Assess. A turn-and-talk with a visible sequence. From Seidlitz and Perryman.
Routine 03
Stronger and Clearer
A first response, then partner rounds that push it toward a stronger, clearer final version. From Jeff Zwiers.
Routine 04
Talk Read Talk Write
Talk about the prompt, read the text, talk again with evidence, then write. From Nancy Motley.
Why it works
Three ideas
Idea 1
Talk builds the idea.
Rigorous idea-development occurs through structured collaboration and conversation.
Idea 2
Aim past the ceiling.
Every learner has a limit on what they can do alone. With others, students reach past it. Tasks belong beyond their current level.
Idea 3
Scaffolds are the tool.
The right scaffold helps students collaboratively reach thinking they can't yet reach alone. Once the thinking is learned, the student no longer needs the scaffold.
Drawing on Vygotsky (1978), Walqui (2006), Walqui & Bunch (2019), Gibbons (2015) and Zwiers (2019).