What do you think about what Janie said?

I’m often asked how to promote active listening. One great way is to ask your pupils what they think about what a classmate has just said. For example, Holly, what do you think about what Janie said?

Very important: This is not intended to catch out Holly because we think she isn’t listening. We assume that Holly is listening and that we’re interested in her perspective. We assume everyone is listening because that’s what we do in our class. (Catching out pupils is not part of developing a positive classroom climate!)

If the What do you think about what X said? teacher talk move is used regularly, pupils will soon realise that they are expected to listen to what their peers say. They will recognise that careful listening, and thinking about what others say, are important aspects of learning.