Intentional Talk

Elham Kazemi, Allison Hintz

Not all mathematics discussions are alike. It's one thing to ask students to share how they solved a problem, to get ideas out on the table so that their thinking becomes visible; but knowing what to do with students' ideas—where to go with them—can be a daunting task. Intentional Talk provides teachers with a framework for planning and facilitating purposeful mathematics discussions that enrich and deepen student learning. According to Elham Kazemi and Allison Hintz, the critical first step is to identify a discussion's goal and then understand how to structure and facilitate the conversation to meet that goal. Through detailed vignettes from both primary and upper elementary classrooms, the authors provide a window into what teachers are thinking as they lead discussions and make important pedagogical and mathematical decisions along the way. Additionally, the authors examine...