Indicators of Instructional Conversation

The teacher:

arranges the classroom to accommodate conversation between the teacher and a small group of students on a regular and frequent basis.
has a clear academic goal that guides conversation with students.
ensures that student talk occurs at higher rates than teacher talk.
guides conversation to include students' views, judgments, and rationales using text evidence and other substantive support.
ensures that all students are included in the conversation according to their preferences.
listens carefully to assess levels of students' understanding.
assists students’ learning throughout the conversation by questioning, restating, praising, encouraging, etc.
guides the students to prepare a product that indicates the Instructional Conversation's goal was achieved.