Designing Structured Talk Activities for Meaningful Classroom Discussion

Description

Meaningful classroom discussion doesn't happen by accident—it happens by design. When students lack the academic language to enter a conversation, they disengage, defer, or disappear. Talk stems give every student a structured, supported entry point into academic discourse, building the conversational skills that research consistently connects to deeper learning, language development, and equitable participation. This session blends the proven practices of Zwiers and Crawford's Academic Conversations with Resnick's Accountable Talk® framework to help participants understand why structured talk matters and how to design talk stem activities that work across content areas and grade levels. Participants will explore a range of talk stem structures, experience them as learners, and leave with classroom-ready activities they can implement immediately.

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A Message from the Moderators

This page gives you everything you need to make the most of your session. Review the recommended accounts before you join, track your checkpoints during the session, and follow the certificate instructions when you're done.

Before You Begin

You will have the best live technical experience using either the Chrome or Firefox browser. (Note: we have also had success with the Edge browser.) Safari is NOT recommended. There is a TrainerCentral Learner app for Android and iOS.
Your lead facilitator recommends having accounts ready for the following tools before the session begins. Taking a few minutes to set these up in advance means you'll spend your time learning, not troubleshooting.

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Session Checkpoints

Checkpoints help us verify your participation and are required to earn a certificate of completion. Here's what to expect during the session:

Checkpoint 1 — Say Hello
Introduce yourself in the chat within the first 10 minutes of the session.

Checkpoint 2 — Schema Activator
Participate in the opening poll or activity.

Checkpoint 3 — [Placeholder]
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Checkpoint 5 — [Placeholder]
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Checkpoint 6 — Poll and Go
Complete the closing poll before you leave.

If you experience technical difficulties during the session, most checkpoints can be completed up to one week after the live session date. Reach out to your facilitator if you need assistance.

Earning Your Certificate

To receive your certificate of completion you must complete all six session checkpoints and submit the post-session feedback survey. The feedback survey is how you request your certificate and is required for all participants — including those seeking state continuing education credit.

Certificates are typically issued within three weeks of the live session date.

Educators in Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Montana: Additional information required for state continuing education credit will be collected through the feedback survey.