Talk, Talk, Talk: Discussion-based Classrooms

These field-tested resources from Consortium Schools in NYC-small schools with a big presence among educators nationwide-have been widely used in professional development sessions with both new and experienced teachers. This engaging approach focuses on making teaching and learning more inquiry-based and student-centered, while also developing the students' skills in reading, critical analysis, writing, speaking, and listening that are necessary for achievement. This classroom-based resource explores how both teachers and students learn the skills of discussion in content areas across the disciplines. Student reflections and teacher talk provide live examples of how discussion plays a pivotal role in inquiry-based classrooms, developing students' basic skills of critical analysis and helping them become lifelong learners, able to confront and research any topic.