Turn and Talk
"Have students better formulate their thoughts with short discussions in pairs. While teachers in thousands of classrooms use the TURN AND TALK discussion technique, not all result in discussions that are efficient, accountable, and rigorous. Here are some suggestions to improve this technique. First, to avoid wasting time, prearrange who should partner with whom, and make sure students know. Next, have a cue so students start discussing right away, “Turn and talk to your partner. Go!” To make it even more explicit, you can let them know who speaks first, “Window to wall” means the student closer to the window goes first. And then to bring the group together, use another clear cue, “Bring it back in three, in two, in one.” To keep the momentum, don’t allow discussions to continue for too long. In fact, provide precise time limits so students know how to pace themselves, “Turn and talk to your neighbor for the next two and a half minutes.” You can even insert a cue midpoint to manage the transition, “Switch!” Then, to hold students accountable and to make sure they listen, you can let them know you will COLD CALL a few people to share afterwards or ask students to write a summary of their partner’s key points. Finally, because teachers never fully know what their students are saying during TURN AND TALK, it should never be a culminating activity. Instead, plan a whole-class activity (analysis, discussion, note taking, writing) for after the TURN AND TALK to add rigor and accountability." (http://massp.org/downloads_massp/the_main_idea/teach_champion.pdf)