Action Step of the Week: Habits of Discussion
Establish strong routines for engaging with text and with each other
Action Step of the Week
Every week on Mondays for the next 6 weeks, introduce and practice one habit of discussion to establish discourse routines:
Identify a habit of discussion on the scope and sequence
Script a roll-out that:
Names the move
Explains the why (connect to charter/norms)
Describes prompts
Practice the move as a group
Here’s an example of kindergarteners engaging in effective habits of discussion. Our kids can do it - even our littlest learners - but it takes some TRAINING, which is the spirit behind this action step.
Why?
1. They Build a Collaborative Learning Culture
When students know how to listen, respond, and build on each other's ideas, the classroom shifts from being teacher-centered to student-powered. Habits of discussion foster a culture where students talk to each other, not just at the teacher, and where ideas evolve through interaction—not isolation.
2. They Make Thinking Visible and Social
Academic success isn't just about what students think—it's about how they communicate that thinking. Structured discussion routines (like using sentence frames or tracking ideas) help students externalize their thinking and refine it in real time. This deepens understanding and allows students to practice the kind of analysis and synthesis demanded by rigorous standards.
3. They Promote Equity and Inclusion
Without norms and structures, class discussions often get dominated by a few confident voices. But when we assign roles, use protocols, or set expectations for turn-taking and evidence, we open the floor to everyone—especially students who might otherwise sit back. It’s not just about compliance—it’s about belonging.
4. They Support Real-World Communication Skills
In every career and community, people need to listen well, challenge respectfully, and adapt their ideas based on feedback. Habits of discussion give students repeated, low-stakes practice in those life skills—skills that don't come from multiple-choice questions.
5. They Align Talk With Learning Goals
Classroom discussion should do more than fill time—it should drive learning. When students are taught how to connect their ideas to the day’s objective or cite evidence in conversation, classroom talk becomes purposeful, not performative.
Bottom Line:
If your students can write well but can’t discuss ideas thoughtfully, they’re missing half the game.
And if your teachers are asking great questions but getting crickets in return, it might not be about engagement—it might be about the missing habits.
Potential Evidence
A small percentage of students speak; Subgroup disparities.
Students struggle to know what to say or get started in conversations.
Students give surface-level answers.
Students respond only to the teacher and not to each other.
Questions to Ask Yourself
What percentage of students are participating?
What are the students’ actual responses? Does it match the exemplar? Academic vocabulary present in their responses?
Do students offer rationale and explanations?
What subgroups do we hear from more?
What part of the physical room do I notice more voices coming from?
How would I describe the energy in the room?
Glossary of Terms
Habits of Discussion: A series of routines that ensure students effectively engage in group discussions. Check out these lists from Uncommon Schools!
Accountable Talk: Speaking in a way that uses evidence, builds on others’ ideas, and stays on topic
Discussion Norms: Agreed-upon behaviors or expectations for how students engage in dialogue
Sentence Starters / Frames: Pre-written prompts to help students begin or structure responses (e.g., "I agree with ___ because…")
Talk Moves: Specific strategies students use to extend, clarify, or respond to ideas (e.g., "Can you say more about that?")
Revoicing: A student or teacher restates another’s idea to clarify or expand it
Discourse Roles: Assigned discussion responsibilities (e.g., summarizer, challenger, clarifier)
Academic Discourse: The structured, purposeful conversation around content using discipline-specific language
Coaching Conversation Template
How to use it:
Find any bracketed text.
Fill this in BEFORE you meet with the teacher. You will look silly and I would feel sad. Only use ONE of the evidence examples.
Be you! You can do it. The best coaches are planned coaches.
Praise/Follow Up on Previous Action Steps
I appreciate the opportunity to sit down with you to discuss my observation.
First, I want to follow up on <previous action step or feedback>. Tell me more about how this is going for you. What impact has this had on you and your students?
Today, I saw <positive evidence of specific teacher action>.
What impact does this move have on you and your students?
Evidence
I want to hone in on some evidence I collected when I was in your classroom.
<participation is low/subgroup disparities> (i.e. I collected some data today that I wanted to share with you. You had 23 kids in the class. Out of the 23 students, 7 of them spoke. And what I noticed about those 7 students was that they typically were the students with higher English proficiency. What does that bring up for you?)
<struggle to get started> (i.e. Today, you released your students at 12:02 to do the turn and talk. At 12:04, 2 out of the 7 groups had gotten started. You were prompting them. Did you notice how you prompted them? Yes - you told them to look at teach other and use complete sentences. I am going to push you to frontload that work to help them get moving. How does that sound?)
<surface-level answers> (i.e. At 12:02 pm, you posed the question “What do we know about Madame Loisel’s motivation?” I recorded their answers. They said, “She’s poor.” “Wants to appear rich.” “Sad.” What do you notice about their responses? Let’s compare it to the exemplar. What does this make you think about?)
<responds to teacher - not peers> (i.e. I was able to observe the text talk time about The Necklace. I noticed a pattern as you posed 3 questions. When students responded, they were giving answers to you, rather than their peers. Did you notice the same thing? What do you think we can do about that?)
Action Step
Great, so here is your action step: Every week on Mondays for the next 6 weeks, introduce and practice one habit of discussion to establish discourse routines:
Identify a habit of discussion on the scope and sequence
Script a roll-out that:
Names the move
Explains the why (connect to charter/norms)
Describes prompts
Practice the move as a group
Go ahead and write down the action step.
Plan/Practice
Let me show you what this looks like with the lesson that I observed.
MODEL
I went to my list of habits of discussion and decided that I am going to focus on introducing the peer-to-peer interaction procedure. I will name the move, explain why it matters, describe my prompt, and practice.
Today, we're going to practice peer-to-peer interaction, an important skill for effective communication that will help us meet what we said in the charter. I'll give you prompts to help guide your conversations. When I say "tell him" or give this hand signal (demonstrates hand signal for eye contact), I want you to make eye contact with your conversation partner to show that you're actively engaged. Alright, let’s practice.
What did you see in my model that is present in the action step?
PLAN
Let’s practice this for Monday. Let’s look at the list and pick one that you want to start with. Now, script it:
Names the move
Explains the why (connect to charter/norms)
Describes prompts
Set up for practice
PRACTICE
Part 1: Now, let’s practice execution. I’ll play the students. Go ahead and roll out the habit of discussion procedure.
Look for:
Names the move
Explains the why (connect to charter/norms)
Describes prompts
Sets up for practice
Formal register/tone
Clear directions
Body language
Part 2: Now, I want you to practice using the prompt. Are you giving a hand signal or giving a verbal prompt?
Closing/Follow Up
Thanks for playing along. I know practice can be awkward, but it is a great way to ensure we can work out all the kinks.
Let’s review the action step.
To follow up, I would love to see this in action and so we can work out all of the kinks. I look forward to seeing you in action <date>.