Tips for Teachers by Craig Barton

Turn and Talk

Turn and Talk is another name for a paired discussion.

***You can purchase a 90-minute online workshop on Turn and Talk that you can share with colleagues at a CPD event or departmental meeting here***

Diagnosis

Please complete this exercise:

  1. Write one reason to use Turn and Talk in a lesson
  2. Write another reason to use Turn and Talk in a lesson
  3. Write a reason to use Turn and Talk in a lesson that no one else will think of
  4. Write a reason not to use Turn and Talk in a lesson

If you are doing this exercise with a colleague, compare your answers.

Evidence

Research into Turn and Talk suggests:

  1. When students engage in productive talk and build on each other’s ideas, it can lead to higher levels of student engagement and deeper disciplinary understanding – read more here
  2. Turn and Talk is associated with the development of students’ metacognitive and collaborative skills – read more here

However, I often spend the morning observing lessons in school and do not see a single Turn and Talk. When I ask teachers about this, they typically respond:

  1. It is a behaviour thing. If I let my students talk to each other, it will take a long time to regain their focus
  2. It is not a good use of lesson time. My students tend to talk about things unrelated to the task and hand, or one student dominates.

Let’s look at some ideas to maximise the benefits of Turn and Talk.

Solution steps

Part 1: When to use Turn and Talk

1. Use Turn and Talk following a range of answers

A great time to use Turn and Talk is when students have given a range of answers to a question.

Watch this example of science teacher, Pritesh Raichura, using Turn and Talk following a mixed response to a multiple-choice question:

Make those answers visible and encourage students to discuss them:

A high proportion of those answers must be correct to make the Turn and Talk worthwhile. This is the 40% to 80% correct range I discuss in my responsive teaching model.

2. Use Turn and Talk following an explanation

My I Dos are teacher-led, broken down into small steps, with regular checks for listening.

Before launching into a We Do, it is a good idea to ask students to tur to their partner and take it in turns to talk through the steps of the I Do they have just seen. This rehearsal allows students to piece the separate steps of the I Do together, setting them up for the check for understanding that follows.

3. Use Turn and Talk following a student’s answer

If a student gives an interesting answer to a Cold Call, ask students to discuss that answer with their partner.

  • Heena: The answer is 30 because alternate angles are equal
  • Teacher: … (pause)… discuss Heena’s answer with your partner

As we shall see below, that initial pause is key in increasing the effectiveness of the Turn and Talk that follows.

One important point here: Hide your tell. If you only ever iniate a Turn and Talk following a wrong answer, students pick up on this, and it robs them of the opportunity to think hard and make that insight for themselves. So, every now and again, initiate a Turn and Talk following a correct answer and react in the exact same way. This keeps students on their toes and thinking hard.

4. Use Turn and Talk following All Hands Up

Science teacher Pritesh Raichura uses “All Hands Up” Cold Calling. He asks a question and asks students to raise their hands if they think they know the answer.

If some hands are raised (again, the 40% to 80% range is useful), we can ask students to do a Turn and Talk and then raise their hands if they feel they know the answer. Almost always, the proportion of students with their hands raised increases, giving us an efficient way to build knowledge.

5. Use Turn and Talk following tumbleweed

Have you ever asked a question and got zero response from students? Of course you have! In these instances, most teachers either step in and explain the answer, or Cold Call a student who more than likely says they don’t know.

The next time this happens, try instigating a Turtn and Talk:

  • Teacher: Who knows the answer to this…
  • (Silence)
  • Teacher: Okay, turn to your partner to discuss what you think the answer might be…
  • Teacher: Now, who thinks they know what the answer is

The opportunity to rehearse an idea with a single, friendly pair of ears often makes students more willing to share with the rest of the class.

6. Use Turn and Talk as part of Think, Pair, Share

Think, Pair, Share can be an effective strategy to help students get to grips with a complex question.

  • Think: Pose the question and give students individual, silent thinking time. We will discuss below how to maximise the effectiveness of this thinking time
  • Pair: Then instigate a Turn and Talk
  • Share: Call upon pairs to share their thinking. Again, we will discuss below how to choose which pairs to call upon

7. Use Turn and Talk as part of the 4-2 approach

The 4-2 approach is my favourite way of structuring Consolidation or Problem-Solving activities. This involves:

  • 4 minutes of silent, independent work
  • 2 minutes of paired discussion
  • And repeat

I find 4 minutes is enough time for students to make some progress on their own, so they have work to compare and questions to ask, but not so long that they get stuck and frustrated. Likewise, 2 minutes is enough for a focused, productive discussion but not long enough for those discussions to drift off-task.

8. Don’t use Turn and Talk if there is widespread confusion

If you pose a question and fewer than 40% of students show you the correct answer (perhaps via mini-whiteboards), or indicate they think they know the answer via All Hands-Up Cold Call, there is probably not enough knowledge in the room to make a Turn and Talk worthwhile. In fact, what will probably happen is the confusion will grow as wrong answers and misconceptions spread around the room.

That is why, in my responsive teaching model, when the proportion of correct answers falls below 40%, I take the lead, explain, and then recheck for understanding.

Part 2: Making Turn and Talk effective

  1. Give students enough time to think individually first

We know from research that teachers typically do not give students enough time to think between asking a question and asking for the answer. I believe the time teachers give between asking students a question and asking them to discuss the answer in pairs is even shorter than that. This is what usually happens:

  • Teacher: What is a good first step to solve this problem? Discuss the answer with your partner.

The issue here is that students have not had a chance to think about the answer. Hence, the paired discussion will start off with lots of summing and ageing, or the quicker, more confident partner will dominate the discussion, stifling the opportunity for the other student to think and contribute.

The way to solve this is to ensure you give students adequate silent thinking time in between posing the question and starting the discussion. The optimal duration of that thinking time will be determined by the complexity of the question and the students’ knowledge, but it should never be less than 3 seconds.

2. Ask students to write down their answers/key points before the Turn and Talk

A great way to enhance the effectiveness of that thinking time is to give students an opportunity to write down their answer or key points. This serves two purposes:

  1. It forces us to allow sufficient thinking time. Silent periods with no visible actions often feel longer than they are, meaning teachers cut them short
  2. It allows students to unburden their working memories onto the page. If students don’t do this, then the danger is they spend the Turn and Talk thinking about what they will say instead of fully engaging with their partner’s contribution.

3. Use mini-whiteboards before Turn and Talk so students can record their thinking

An exercise book is fine for students to record their thoughts on before the Turn and Talk, but nothing beats a mini-whiteboard.

Mini-whiteboards have the advantages over an exercise book in that

  1. Students can easily edit and run out their answers, meaning students are more willing to give an answer a go.
  2. There is not the same ownership as with a book, so students are more willing to annotate and edit each other’s answers.

4. Ask students to put their mini-whiteboards between them during Turn and Talk

This is one of those small changes that make a huge difference. Asking students to put their mini-whitboards between them, one above the other:

  1. Changes body position – students naturally lean in, making for a more focussed discussion
  2. Supports explanations – students can refer to their whiteboards when explaining their answers
  3. Acts as a catalyst for discussion – students naturally refer to each other’s boards, drawing comparisons and contrasts

Here is some feedback from a school I worked with:

We have incorporated your feedback around sharing whiteboards into our Turn & Talk procedure and I have already found it to be incredibly impactful.

As you suggested, just putting the boards in the middle has significantly shifted the students’ body language and allowed much more meaningful conversations to develop.

5. State who talks first in advance

If you don’t state who talks in advance:

  1. No one will talk, leading to several seconds of lost learning
  2. Students will talk over each other, again leading to lost learning
  3. The quicker, more confident student in the group will dominate, while the other parter will not get any opportunity to contribute.

Instead, give a clear indication of who goes first:

  1. The person on the left
  2. The person closest to the door
  3. The person whose name is first in the alphabet

6. Give a conversation prompt

Having a productive discussion can be a challenging skill that students need support with. You can help by giving them a prompt to start their Turn and Talk with:

  1. I think the answer is __ because __
  2. I agree/disagree with Katie because __

7. Announce when it is time to switch speaker

To ensure each student has an equal opportunity to contribute, and so the Turn and Talk is sharp and snappy, let the students know when it is time to switch speakers. If you don’t do this, the first speaker may dominate, or the second speaker may interrupt.

You could shout: “Switch”, clap your hands, or have an alarm go off.

8. Ensure students have something to discuss

I often see Turn and Talks peter out after a few seconds because students don’t know what to do when they have shared their answers and explanations. This is especially the case if they have the same answer.

It is worth ensuring students always have something to discuss whether they agree or disagree with their partner.

Here are the instructions I give students:

  1. If you disagree with your partner, can you convince them you are correct?
  2. If you agree with your partner, discuss why someone else might think a different answer is correct?

9. Circulate…

Circulating the room whilst students are engaged in a Turn and Talk allows you to pick up useful information to inform your next move. You might:

  1. Notice a widespread misconception that you want to address with the whole class
  2. Overhear an interesting explanation that you want to share with everyone

10. … but be careful not to get in the way

I often see teachers hover near a pair of students engaged in a Turn and Talk, only for the students to either stop their discussion or go into performance mode, explaining what they have been talking about instead of continuing from where they are up. Being close enough to gather useful information but not close enough to stifle the flow of the Turn and Talk is a tricky line to navigate. It also requires a culture in your classroom where students know they are in a safe space to continue sharing their thoughts, whether the teacher is nearby or not.

Part 3: What happens after a Turn and Talk?

  1. End a Turn and Talk on the crest of a wave

If we call an end to a Turn and Talk after it has already started to fizzle out, we have a lot of work to do to get the energy and focus back up to where we need it to be. Instead, aim to end the Turn and Talk when discussions are at their most lively – the analogy of the crest of a wave is useful here. Although students will wish they had a few more seconds to discuss, they will be much more likely to bring that momentum and eagerness into whatever you ask them to do next.

Notice this is exactly the point – when energy and volume are at their peak – that Pritesh calls his Turn and Talk to a halt:

2. Reinforce the importance of listening to your partner

Too many student (and adult) conversations are two separate monologues where the other party waits for their partner to finish talking so they can say their bit. You can counteract this by checking if students have been listening to each other and holding them to account if they have not:

Teacher: Michael, what does Lucy think the answer is and why?

Once students realise they will be asked these questions – and be held accountable if they cannot answer them – the incentive to actively listen during a Turn and Talk increases.

3. Ask questions to find the best paired discussions to share

Following a Turn and Talk, you could just choose groups at random to share what they have been discussing. Or you may have picked up on some contributions to share whilst circulating.

Failing that, here are my favourite three questions to ask to find the best discussions to share with the rest of the class:

  1. Put your hand up if you disagree with the answer of your partner
  2. Put your hand up if you changed your mind during your discussion
  3. Put your hand up if your partner said something you found interesting

4. Re-check for understanding

If you have instigated a Turn and Talk because their was a spread of answers to a question, it is important to re-check for understanding. The alternative is to cross our fingers and hope the Turn and Talk did its job, which is risky.

The best re-check for understanding is to ask a related question that test the same skill but still requires some thinking. I share some guidance on writing good follow-up questions here.

5. Hold the pair to account

Research suggests that cooperative learning is most consistently effective when groups are recognised or rewarded based on the individual learning of their members as opposed to the learning of the group. We need to ensure a pair cannot get away with one partner dominating, and the other just coming along for the ride.

Maths teacher, Sammy Kempner, shared some strategies to help with this:

  1. Share the mantra: Helping others is the hardest job in this classroom
  2. Be careful with praise: What happens if a student displays understanding? Praise the pair, not the student.
  3. Be careful with sanctions: What happens if a student displays a lack of understanding? Sanction the pair, not the student.

Want to know more?

  1. Pritesh Raichura discusses his use of Turn and Talk here
  2. Adam Boxer offers a useful warning about using Turn and Talk for the sake of it here.

Implementation planning

Here are the ideas we have discussed:

Part 1: When to use Turn and Talk

  1. Following a range of answers
  2. Following an explanation
  3. Following a student’s answer
  4. Following All Hands Up
  5. Following tumbleweed
  6. As part of Think, Pair, Share
  7. As part of the 4-2 approach
  8. Don’t use Turn and Talk if there is widespread confusion

Part 2: How to make Turn and Talk effective

  1. Give students enough time to think individually first
  2. Ask students to write down their answer/key points before the Turn and Talk
  3. Use mini-whiteboards before Turn and Talk so students can record their thinking
  4. Ask students to put their mini-whiteboards between them during Turn and Talk
  5. State who talks first in advance
  6. Give a conversation prompt
  7. Announce when it is time to switch speaker
  8. Ensure students have something to discuss
  9. Circulate…
  10. … But be careful not to get in the way

Part 3: What happens after a Turn and Talk?

  1. End on the crest of the wave
  2. Reinforce the importance of listening
  3. Ask questions to find the best paired discussions to share
  4. Re-check for understanding
  5. Hold the pair to account

Use these ideas to complete the prioritisation exercise here.

90-minute online workshop

If you enjoyed this and want to share the ideas with colleagues and support my work, you can purchase a 90-minute online workshop on Turn and Talk here.