Best for: Discussions in which students are contributing ideas but not necessarily listening or responding to one another.
Place students in groups of 3–4.
Use three simple steps:
Listen
One person shares an idea, response, or experience without interruption.
Connect
The next person identifies something they heard.
Possible sentence starters:
Something I heard you say was...
Something that connects with my thinking is...
I'm curious about what you said about...
Respond
The listener adds their own idea, question, perspective, or experience.
Continue until everyone has participated.
The challenge: Before adding your own idea, connect it to something someone else has said.
Reflect:
How was this conversation different from a typical class discussion?