Student Discussions

Why Are Academic Discussions Important?

• Talking helps students to gather and organize their thoughts, process information, and better remember it so that students more thoroughly understand new concepts.

• Students can learn from one another, make connections, and see the big picture as they receive/provide feedback and reflect on their thinking.

• Students practice using academic language during conversations.

• Student conversations help foster connections between students.

• Students communicate their needs as they discuss and ask questions and their teachers gather important information on whether they understand the concept and discover misconceptions that they can address.