Promoting Classroom Conversations: Tools that Support Meaningful Student Talk

Teachers have long recognized the primacy and critical necessity of classroom discourse -- as James Britton observed, literacy "floats on a sea of talk." But how do we make that talking accessible, rigorous, and inviting to all students? In this combined session, veteran educators will demonstrate the potential of flexible tools that promote meaningful classroom discussion, including Four Corners, Real Talk, and Teach Different. Participants will try out these approaches for themselves, and leave the session with tried and true methods that they can immediately implement into a wide range of educational settings.

Rethinking Participation: Designing Classroom Talk for Real Thinking
Classroom discussions often reward speed, confidence, and verbal dominance, which can unintentionally limit access to rigorous thinking for many students. Multilingual learners, neurodivergent students, and those who need additional processing time are frequently positioned as less participatory, not because of ability, but because of how discussion is designed.

This interactive workshop invites participants to rethink participation as a matter of instructional design rather than student disposition. Participants will engage in a Four Corners activity to surface how individuals process and participate differently in discussion, building a shared understanding of learner variability and its implications for equity.

Participants will then experience Real Talk, an equitable discourse strategy that structures academic conversation to expand student voice and agency without lowering rigor. Using a short text and a shared discussion prompt, participants will engage in the strategy as learners before stepping back to analyze the pedagogical moves that make it effective, including visible criteria for quality talk, protected processing time, interdependence, and discussion as formative assessment.

Grounded in insights from a collaborative PLC learning cycle across seven CPS high school English classrooms, this session emphasizes practical, classroom-tested approaches to designing talk that supports deeper thinking. Participants will leave with concrete strategies and time to plan one immediate classroom application that can be adapted across texts, grade levels, and student populations.

Teach Different – Elevate Student Voice Through Conversations
This interactive workshop introduces educators to the Teach Different method, a practical, discussion-based protocol that elevates student voice through conversations. Participants learn how a simple change in their practice can create inclusive classrooms where students feel heard, challenged, and valued.

Participants will experience a live model discussion centered on a powerful quote, then unpack the Teach Different method step-by-step and have time to brainstorm how to adapt it to their classrooms. Participants receive a curated list of powerful, classroom-ready quotes to support ongoing use of the method.