Substantive
Conversations
at
Spotswood Primary School
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
Contents
Turn and
Talk………………………………………………………………………………………
Think Pair
Share…………………………………………………………………………………..
Think
aloud………………………………………………………………………………………….
WOEDIL What on Earth did I learn?............................................
Round
Robin………………………………………………………………………………………
Circle
Chat……………………………………………………………………………………….…
Hot
Potato…………………………………………………………………………………..…….
Walk and
Talk…………………………………………………………………………………...
The Final
Word…………………………………………………………………………….….…
Silent
Conversation…………………………………………………………………………….
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
TURN & TALK
DESCRIPTION
This strategy is to promote discussion and reflection between students.
 Ask students to find a partner.
 Students should sit cross legged, facing each other with their
knees touching.
 Teacher allocates an appropriate amount of time for students to
discuss a topic, problem or idea. This strategy may also be used for
students to share their learning.
 Students can then share their discussions. The teacher may choose
some students to share or some students may be asked to recall
what their partner has shared with them.
VARIATIONS


The teacher may choose to allocate pairs in a variety of ways
- student choice
- teacher choice
- ask students to choose a partner they haven’t had in the last
week
- number students
Students can also turn and talk in groups of 3 or 4.
REFERENCES
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
THINK, PAIR, SHARE
DESCRIPTION
This strategy is to promote discussion and reflection between students.
 Students are given time alone to think about a topic, problem or
idea.
 Students then get into pairs and discuss their thoughts.
 Students can then share their discussions. The teacher may choose
some students to share or some students may be asked to recall
what their partner has shared with them.
VARIATIONS
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After the students have discussed their thoughts, two pairs then
share with each other. One member of the group then acts as a
reporter to the class.
Students can discuss their ideas with a variety of other pairs.
Think/Write/Pair/Share – Students record their thoughts before
sharing in pairs.
A range of thinking tools can be used effectively with this process.
REFERENCES
www.cap.nsw.edu.au
www.wettropics.gov.au
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
THINK ALOUD
DESCRIPTION
This strategy requires students to explain their thinking out loud.
 Teachers need to regularly model thinking aloud.
 The thinking aloud process requires the teacher to verbalise their
inner thoughts as they think their way through a problem, process
or idea.
 Students should then be encouraged to replicate this strategy with
their own thinking.
VARIATIONS

In reciprocal think alouds, students are paired with a partner.
REFERENCES
http://www.teachervision.com.au/skill-builder/problemsolving/48546.html?page=1
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
WOEDIL
What On Earth Did I Learn
DESCRIPTION
This strategy requires students to verbalise and reflect on their learning.
It can be used as an assessment tool.
 In small groups students reflect on the idea “What On Earth Did I
Learn?”
 Students may pass on the “WOEDIL” if they wish.
VARIATIONS
 A WOEDIL can be used with a whole class group.
 A WOEDIL can be expressed in written form as a thinking tool,
such as a mind map or a concept map.
REFERENCES
www.cap.nsw.edu.au
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
ROUND ROBIN
DESCRIPTION

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Students work in groups of four.
Using the placemat (see Appendix 1) students record their ideas
and thoughts on the outer space closest to them.
Students share and discuss their ideas.
The common ideas are then recorded in the middle space on the
placemat.
These common ideas are then shared with the class.
VARIATIONS
 After students record their ideas and thoughts, the placemat is
passed to another group who then record the common ideas.
REFERENCES
http://www.myread.org/organisation.htm
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
CIRCLE CHAT
DESCRIPTION
This strategy is designed to develop substantive conversation between a
variety of students in the class.
 Students are organised into 2 equal circles. One inside circle and
one outside circle. Each student in the inside circle faces a student
in the outside circle.
 The students then discuss a topic, problem, idea or their learning
with their partner.
 After a period of time the students in the outside circle move
clockwise to a new partner and a new discussion takes place.
Students can move as often as required.
VARIATIONS


Students in the outside circle can move a number of places as
designated by the teacher.
At the completion, some students can be asked to share some of
the discussions they have had.
REFERENCES
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/13346
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
HOT POTATO
DESCRIPTION
This strategy is a variation of the party game hot potato to encourage
student participation in expressing their ideas, thoughts or reflections.
 An item such as a small bean bag or soft ball needs to be allocated
as the hot potato.
 Students are organised into a circle. The ‘hot potato’ is tossed
randomly from student to student. When the teacher shouts out
“hot” the student currently holding the ‘hot potato’ shares their
ideas, thoughts or reflections with the group.
VARIATIONS


Rather than the teacher shouting out ”hot” every 10th student
shares their ideas, thoughts or reflections.
Rather than the teacher shouting out ”hot” music can be played and
when the music stops the student holding the hot potato shares
their ideas, thoughts or reflections.
REFERENCES
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Potato_(game)
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
WALK & TALK
DESCRIPTION
This is a strategy to promote substantive conversation in a different
environment. Walking promotes blood flow, facilitates a clear mind and
allows thinking without the restraints of a classroom environment.

The students share their ideas, thoughts and reflections while
walking outside of the classroom, hence walk and talk.
VARIATIONS
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
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If students meet another pair while walking they must swap
partners.
If students meet another pair while walking they become a group
of 4. Groups should not become larger than 4.
Interruptors. Some students can be allocated as interruptors.
These students walk alone until they come across a pair discussing
a familiar or interesting idea. The interruptor then chooses a
student to trade with. The chosen student leaves the conversation
while the remaining pair continue walking and talking. The partner
who has left then goes on to find another conversation.
REFERENCES
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_and_talk
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
THE FINAL WORD
DESCRIPTION
This strategy supports students to reflect upon and respond to different
text types and topics. ‘The Final Word’ can be used to reflect on a variety
of reading strategies, different styles of writing or an opinion on a topic.
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Students sit in a circle in groups of 4.
One student begins by reflecting on their learning about a given
topic, idea or text.
Then each student in the group responds.
The initial student then has ‘The Final Word’ about the discussion.
Each student then has a turn.
VARIATIONS
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Set time limits for responses.
For a shorter session use groups of 3.
Allow one student to be a facilitator who can then summarise the
ideas of the group.
REFERENCES
http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/inclusion/staff/gray_hudson.htm
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010
SILENT CONVERSATIONS
DESCRIPTION
This strategy begins with written conversations culminating in a verbal
discussion.
 Students sit in a group of 4.
 Each student writes their response, thinking or learning relevant to
the topic. There should be no talking during this time.
 After 3 minutes students pass their responses clockwise.
 Students are given 2 minutes reading time and then a further 3
minutes to respond to the previous comments. These written
comments should replicate verbal conversations.
 This continues until the student receives their initial comments
back, which they may choose to add to.
 Then the students are given time to discuss these four written
conversations verbally.
VARIATIONS
 Students can alternate between written and verbal conversations
each time a written conversation is passed.
REFERENCES
Buehl, Doug. Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning. (2009)
Helen Hardy & Melanie Voigt
Spotswood Primary School 2010