First Stage: Teacher needs to ENGAGE

students in the activity

Arouse their curiosity “This is something unusual.”

Present a Puzzling “I wonder if anybody has
Experience noticed this”
Encourage Prediction “What will happen if?”
Arouse background “What do you know about
knowledge this?”
Student’s Expectations: What assumptions
do the students bring with them into the
classroom about the ideal students?
Active To contribute ideas
Collaborative To listen to each other
Constructive To develop ideas
Teacher Action: How can teachers change
the assumptions of the students from
simply being constructive?
 Invite students to contribute
 Respect students’ ideas - even if inadequate
 Use students’ ideas – give them recognition
 regard learning as a journey
 Look for opportunities/mistakes
 open widows of opportunities
Second and Third Stage: The teacher
provides the students with the opportunity to
EXPLORE, TRANSFORM and EXPLAIN the
topic individually, in pairs or in small groups
Students explore the new information –
divergent rather than uniformity;
exploration rather than settlement
Students voice tentative judgment
Students think aloud – share their ideas as
they are being formed
Students begin to see exploratory talk as
a tool for learning
Student’s Expectations: Students enact the
social values required for explanatory talk
to occur.
Generosity to share their ideas
Willingness to accept other ideas
Enthusiasm to provide evidence and
argument for their ideas
Humility to accept criticism
Commitment and persistence to remain on
task
Teacher’s Role:
Facilitate group skills – enable students to
communicate
Ask open-minded questions
Listen- try to understand students’ concepts
Fourth Stage: Students reflect on the
process - ELABORATE
Reflect on how learning takes place
Reflect on how students have changes
Consider what they did well or poorly
Plan to improve group processes
Fifth Stage: The teacher’s objective is to
include students more in the evaluation
process itself- EVALUATE
Teachers encourage students:
- to become more self-monitoring
- to become aware of criteria for
assessment
- to become more active in constructive
evaluation of each others work