We might more readily associate strategies for structuring talk – such as ‘think, pair, share’ – with younger age groups, but what about our 16 – 19 learners?
EEF’s secondary literacy guidance report highlights the value of providing opportunities for structured talk to developing pupils’ reading, writing and subject understanding, particularly for those who are lower-prior attainers or from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Whilst the evidence-base that sits behind recommendation six around opportunities for structured talk has emerged from the secondary classroom, we can also extrapolate some useful practices for working with older learners.
In this ‘Clip from the Classroom’ from Pinnacle Learning Research School, we can see the powerful use of ‘think, pair, share’ in an A level English Language and Literature lesson, which supports all students to rehearse their thinking before contributing to whole-class discussion.
As Jennifer Benzer, Course Leader for English at Oldham Sixth Form College, reflects: ‘Students develop their understanding of the content through talk.’
Seeing this strategy in action is a powerful professional development opportunity for subject teams to observe and reflect on the modelling of a technique, which can then be refined in their own practice.
As we can see in the video, the success of this seemingly simple strategy lies in high-quality prompts in the form of questions and sentence stems. Over time, talk routines can build confidence and fluency in subject-specific vocabulary, as well as being a crucial prelude to writing.
Check out the RSN’s ‘Clips from the Classroom’ platform for the full video collection, including a suite of literacy videos.