Back to the format index

Dialogic architecture·Medium cognitive demand·20–40 minutes

Silent Conversation

Develop and challenge ideas through a visible written dialogue before speaking.

Knowledge
Interpretive · Argumentative
Sequence
Guided Construction · Disciplinary Application
Interaction
High

Develop and challenge ideas through a visible written dialogue before speaking. Silent Conversation is selected when its reasoning mechanism matches an accepted learning requirement and produces evidence a teacher can inspect.

01How the architecture unfolds

  1. Define the learning target and evidence.
  2. Run the Silent Conversation routine with one bounded case.
  3. Capture evidence and identify the next teaching move.

02The work on each side

Teacher moves

  • State the reasoning purpose
  • Monitor one diagnostic feature
  • Respond to the evidence

Student moves

  • Retrieve
  • Apply
  • Explain

03What would count as learning?

  • Students produce an observable response linked to the target

04Across the curriculum

History

Evidence and judgment

Use Silent Conversation to make a historical reasoning move visible.

Science

Explanation and application

Use Silent Conversation to expose how students select and apply a scientific model.