Talking Less, So That Students Think More

Have you ever observed a teacher teaching a group of students and noticed how much the teacher talked vs the students? As a teacher, I have often had to stop myself from talking too much and instead work in deliberate ways to get students to talk more in my classroom.

Cindy from Kid Codes is here today to share with you a topic that is dear to my heart: Empowering students to become independent thinkers by using less teacher talk.

As teachers, we do a lot of talking. We have to, right? It’s how we get our point across, share the information that we have, and express our expectations.

While there certainly is a place for teacher talk, especially in the beginning of a school year, unit or subject, I also believe that there times when we may be talking too much. There are times when we may be giving students too much information and making too many decisions for them. If we can find and use opportunities to give students a little less verbal instruction, we can get them thinking more independently and making more of their own (well thought out) decisions.

As a special education teacher, I see many opportunities to help students grow their independence and their ability to think for themselves. Students with and without a diagnosed disability need practice thinking and making decisions. Just as any other skill to be learned, thinking independently and making decisions, takes practice. If we give students too much “help” we take away their time to practice these important skills. In our busy days, squeezing so much in, it can be difficult to allow for a bit of extra time, holding back some of our information, so that kids can figure things out on their own. I understand this challenge as both a teacher and a parent. Many times it is just so much faster and easier to simply tell our students/children what to do, rather than to watch and wait while they struggle.

But practice they must. Just remember that practice, means that the skill is not yet mastered and students WILL struggle. Prepare for the struggle, allow for the struggle, and embrace the struggle! The struggle is the learning process. If we, as teachers, get comfortable with the struggle, our students will feel they have permission to struggle and will get more comfortable with it too.

Clear Expectations vs. Acceptable Struggles

We all know that clear expectations are extremely important in any classroom environment. Clear expectations are comforting to students, help teachers stay organized and keep everyone moving forward. What makes something a clear expectation vs. an acceptable struggle?

• A clear expectation should…. let students know what the boundaries are//should not…. make every decision for the student
• A clear expectation should…. give students the necessary information needed to engage in a task// should not…. answer every question or solve every problem that may come up
• A clear expectation should…. provide for student safety and a respectful learning environment//should not…. avoid developmentally and academically appropriate risks

When And How To Intervene in “The Struggle”

So now that we are talking less, making fewer decisions for our students, and allowing them to have acceptable struggles, we need to think about those times when we really do need to intervene. Sometimes, the struggle goes on too long for a student’s wellbeing or to be realistic in your schedule. Sometimes, the struggle needs to be reigned in and guided a bit. And sometimes, the struggle starts out to be a healthy one, but takes an unproductive turn.

When should you intervene in the struggle?

• When the student has been struggling for a very long period of time given the situation.
  This is something that will depend on the student, the situation at hand, and your schedule. For example, if the struggle is a student trying to get a dollar bill in the vending machine and after 5 minutes of trying and a line of kids behind him, he still can’t get it to go in, it is time to intervene.
• When the student has been struggling for a very long time and it is clear he is not able to do the skill.
  Knowing your students well will help you to know when to intervene in a given situation. You will want to wait long enough for the student to feel he tried hard, but not so long as to have the student feel defeated. If the student at the vending machine is not helped, eventually the kids behind him will start to get annoyed or angry and may be unkind. The student may end up feeling embarrassed and defeated.
• When the student can no longer handle the struggle and starts to demonstrate emotional or physical distress.
  Keeping a close eye, on students who you know may have a difficult time with the struggle, will help you to intervene at the right time. The student at the vending machine, who is struggling to get the dollar bill in the slot, is likely fine if he has a frustrated look on his face, but if he begins to cry or rip the dollar bill, it is time to intervene!

How to intervene is very much dependent on the situation and the student.

Some things to consider:

• Use the least to most approach: Use as little words as possible to help the student. You may even be able to use non-verbal prompts such as pointing. Add more as necessary. Do not jump in and completely solve the problem right away.
• Stay positive and understand that the student is likely feeling a bit upset about having difficulty. Use kind words such as; “maybe if you try it this way” or “you’ve almost got it, now try this.”
• Compliment the efforts that the student made and point out the things that they did that were successful, i.e. if a student at a vending machine puts the money in the money slot, even if it is upside down, you can say something like, “great job finding the money slot.”
• Ask questions instead of giving directives. Asking questions allows the student to think about solving the problem and gives them more ownership over the success. To the student at the vending machine, you could say, “nice job finding the money slot, do you need to turn the bill a certain way?”

Practical tips to help you talk less and allow the acceptable struggle:

• Count to 20 (in your head) before giving a verbal instruction to a struggling student.
• Ask a short question instead of giving multiple and detailed directives
• Use body language, facial expressions and physical prompts (point, move something closer, move something farther away, cover up a portion of something)
• Walk away and come back around in a couple of minutes

Talking less so that our students think more, can be tricky for us teachers and can take practice. But in the end, it is well worth it. Enjoy the silence, embrace the struggle, empower your students!

Here are some free bookmarks tips to help you talk less and get students talking more.  Click the image below to download them.

Hi, I’m Cindy.  I’ve been teaching special education for over 20 years. I love my job. Teaching special learners is so much fun. It provides me with new and interesting challenges each and every day. I love helping my students improve their ability to think about their actions, think about others, and think about how they can be the best they can be.