I love the idea of this silent discussion. Rule one being – no talking. I think this really allows all students the opportunity to freely express what’s on their mind without fear of being judged, mocked, or belittled.

The second big win is the chalk talks can have so many purposes! Like Jared mentions, he uses them to see what the students know, what they want to know, and what they learnt. The possibilities almost limitless, and quite flexible.

The other thing that I like about these chalk talks is the conversation doesn’t have to stop at the central idea. Students can branch off of each others notes, and link similar ideas together.

Finally, I can use the results of the chalk talk as an basis of how comfortable the students are coming into the topic, how I might want to plan lessons based on what they know and want to know, and finally an assessment to make sure the students walk away with the key points of the lesson cemented in memory.