Silence Isn't Disengagement
Offer a quiet note or sketch before talk so silence can reveal processing rather than being assumed to mean disengagement.
Worked model: Silence Isn't Disengagement
View the illustrated activity card
- 1Offer a quiet note or sketch before talk so silence can reveal processing rather than being assumed to mean disengagement
- 2Ask each partner to rehearse an explanation
- 3The listener requests one missing reason or unclear detail
- 4The speaker improves the response before sharing independently
First: “It stays still because same.” Improved: “The upward contact force balances the book’s weight, so the resultant force is zero.” The second answer names the relationship.
Teach the move
Prepare · 3 minutes
Prepare one focused prompt and define what a useful explanation includes.
- 1
Offer a quiet note or sketch before talk so silence can reveal processing rather than being assumed to mean disengagement.
- 2
Ask each partner to rehearse an explanation.
- 3
The listener requests one missing reason or unclear detail.
- 4
The speaker improves the response before sharing independently.
EAL upgrade
Remove the sentence opening while keeping thinking and rehearsal time.
Keep the subject challenge. Offer one model, visual or language prompt where needed, then check a fresh independent response.
Try it tomorrow
Prepare one focused prompt and define what a useful explanation includes.
Offer a quiet note or sketch before talk so silence can reveal processing rather than being assumed to mean disengagement. Ask each partner to rehearse an explanation.
Use a new object or motion state and check whether the learner explains without the partner.
Remove the sentence opening while keeping thinking and rehearsal time.
What to look for
Use a new object or motion state and check whether the learner explains without the partner.
Teacher language
Adapt these prompts to the task and your learners.
Our purpose is: Offer a quiet note or sketch before talk so silence can reveal processing rather than being assumed to mean disengagement.
Show the relationship and explain the choice you made.
Try the new case on your own. Show the detail or reasoning that supports your answer.
Which support do you still need, and which part can you now do independently?
Across subjects
Maths: rehearse a method justification. Humanities: rehearse a source-based interpretation.
Adjust language support
Use a small word bank, visuals and partner rehearsal when needed. Extend with precise explanations and qualifications. Judge the support from the response to this task.