Accountable Talk
Getting Students to Talk About Math in
Tutorial
Do Now
O 1. What do you think accountable talk is?
O 2. Why is it important in tutorial?
O Share using, “I think accountable talk is..”
O and “Accountable talk is important
because…."
As you observe…
O IP1
O • Students ask probing questions to clarify
conceptual understandings
O • Students describe possible approaches to a
solution
O • Students persist in making multiple
attempts to solve, and avoid asking for the
solution
O • Students check their answers using
different methods
As you observe…
O IP2
O • Students explain the relationship between
quantities in problem situations
O • Students share, justify, and question their
mathematical conceptions
O Students adjust their thinking based on mathematical
information gathered through discussion and
responses to questions
O IP3
As you observe…
O • Students use assumptions, definitions, and previous
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
results to explain or justify solutions
• Students use logic to articulate conjectures
• Students use examples and counterexamples in
constructing viable arguments
• Students justify conclusions in a way that is
understandable to teachers and peers
• Students compare two possible arguments for strengths
and weaknesses
• Students use academic language appropriately
• Students write viable arguments in their work
• Students write precise and reasonable critiques of
others’ work
As you observe…
O IP6
O • Communication, both oral and written, is careful,
accurate and incorporates units when necessary
O • Communication, written and verbal includes precise
academic language
O IP7
O • Students explain mathematical patterns or
structures
O • Students explain why and when properties of
operations are true in a context
Let’s Go Watch…
Critical Friends
O Examples of the Instructional Practices
O “I saw examples of IP(#)…”
O Positive Aspects of the Program
O Questions
Denver Math Fellows
Content/Language
Objective
• Today I will…
• Learn about accountable talk
strategies and brainstorm ways to
begin using accountable talk
effectively in my tutorial.
Accountable Talk –
What?
Talking with others about ideas and
work is fundamental to learning. But, not
all talk sustains learning. For classroom
talk to promote learning it must be
accountable – to the learning community,
to accurate and appropriate knowledge,
and to rigorous thinking.
Accountable Talk – What?
• seriously responds to and further develops what
others in the group have said
• puts forth and demands knowledge that is
accurate and relevant to the issue under
discussion
• requires active listening
• uses evidence appropriate to the discipline (e.g.,
proof in mathematics, data from experiments in
science, textual details in literature, documentary
sources in history) and follows established norms
of good reasoning
• All teachers must intentionally create the norms
and skills of accountable talk in their classrooms
ACCOUNTABILITY and
ACCOUNTABLE TALK
Learning
Community
Knowledge
Rigorous
Thinking
“As classroom teachers we are really
effective at teaching students how
to monologue, NOT how to dialogue.”
THINK ABOUT IT!
What does this mean?
“I think this means that…”
RESTATE another answer!
Accountable Talk
In classrooms where high
levels of student
engagement and
accountable talk is
prevalent:
• Students are able to explain the relationship between
the discussion and the stated learning objective.
• The teacher and students ask questions that require
synthesis, analysis, problem solving, and application of
learning.
• Students return to the text and other data sources to
support their positions or challenge positions taken by
others in the discussion.
• All students take an active role in discussions, using
agreed upon norms.
• Anchor charts that outline norms for discussions and
specific group discussion strategies are displayed.
• The teacher uses different discussion strategies and
routines (i.e. pairs, small group, full class, turn and
talk, think-pair-share; fishbowl, inside/outside
circles,) appropriate to the lesson’s learning objective
and the learning needs of students.
• The teacher models these strategies and routines and
gradually releases responsibility to students for
leading discussions, with the teacher periodically
acting as a participant or facilitator.
• Students and the teacher use rubrics to assess the
quality of classroom discussions (content and process).
• The teacher observes discussions and uses
observation data to inform instruction (conference
logs).
Accountable Talk Rubric
4 
Discusses activity at all times
Uses target vocabulary
Gives multiple reasons for answers including strategies used
Includes non-speakers
Creates a respectful learning community
3 
Discusses activity the majority of the time
Uses some target vocabulary
Gives reason(s) for answers including strategies used
Includes some non-speakers
Creates a respectful learning community
2 
Discusses activity some of the time
Uses little target vocabulary
Gives answers without reasons or strategies
Does not include non-speakers
Attempts to create a respectful learning community
1 
Does not discuss activity
Uses no target vocabulary
Gives answers without reasons or strategies
Does not include non-speakers
Does not attempt to create a respectful learning community
Classroom posters
ILLUSTRATING
STRATEGIES to help
facilitate talk.
(With a partner)
(Yourself)
(Whole class)
Why? Tell me more!
Give an example.
Defend your
reasoning
against a
different
point
of view.
How did you arrive at
your answer?
Redirect a question back
to the person.
Make one’s thinking public
and demonstrate expert forms
of reasoning through talk.
Restate and make public a
person or group’s
discussion and
understanding.
Ensure that everyone is heard
and understands what a
person says.
Make explicit the relationship
between a new contribution
and what was said before.
Revoice a person’s
contributions.
Hold everyone
accountable for the
accuracy, credibility,
and clarity of their
contributions.
Tie a current
contribution back
to knowledge
accumulated by a
person or the class
at a pervious time.
Press for evidence and
understanding of a
person’s statements.
Give extra time and space in
the conversation to expand
reasoning.
• Agree/Disagree Cards
• Questioning Cards
• Kagan Strategies (Spend a
buck)
• Sentence Starters…
• One idea I had was…
• To add to his/her (__________’s) idea, I was
thinking…
• My idea was similar to his/hers…
• My idea was different from his/hers…
• Could you please explain what you mean so I
can understand better ?
• Can you point out in the text where you got that
idea?
• I hear what you are saying…can you show me
the evidence from the text to support that
statement?
• I think/don’t think ____ is right because…
• That’s an interesting way to think of …
• My idea is similar to…
• That reminds me of…
• What I’m hearing you say is…
• You’re saying that…
• In other words…
• I still have a question about…
•As I was saying…
•Could you say that again?
•In my opinion,
•Gee, I hadn’t thought of that…
•Did you mean?
•My evidence from the text is on page_____,
where it says, “_____________________.”
•I agree/don’t agree with (name) because…
•I see what you mean…
Lisa Jako’s Cards
• What will this look like in your tutorial room?
• What are your first steps in accomplishing this?
Break Time
O Take 10 minutes and come back ready to go!
Silent Launch
• Think back on the professional
developments we’ve had so far…
• 1. Write a list of all of the cooperative
strategies that we’ve used.
• 2. How do you think cooperative
strategies increase student
achievement?
Expectations
This activity
should be…
• Silent
• Independent
• Work until I
say stop
• Be ready to
share your
answers
Cooperative
Strategies
Content/Language
Objective
• Today I will…
• Identify cooperative strategies that I
can use in tutorial by jigsawing a
handout and recording my
observations in writing on a graphic
organizer.
Why Cooperative
Learning?
• THINK… of a time when you were in a
training your really liked and learned a lot
from?
• PAIR… up and talk about your
experience.
• SHARE… what your partner said.
• We retain less than 10% of what we hear from a lecture,
• But we retain more than 50% of what we learn by doing.
Stray and Say
• Directions:
• 1. Your group will be assigned a few pages to read.
• 2. You will pick and summarize 3 strategies you think
you could use in tutorial.
• 3. Write down your one sentence summary and the
benefits of using the strategy.
• 4. Be ready to share out and record others’
responses on your graphic organizer.
Wrap-Up
• Today I…
• Identified cooperative strategies that I
can use in tutorial by jigsawing a
handout and recording my
observations in writing on a graphic
organizer.
Exit Ticket
• Silently think of an answer to the
following…
o Which strategy will you use in tomorrow’s
tutorial and why?
o Be Ready to Share Out!
Other Strategies & Approaches
O Share out how you’ve been increasing
accountable talk at your site!