New: Talk Sticks

Colourful and fun, our Talk Sticks support classroom interaction and pupil equality.

• Ready to use – just write on your pupils’ names
• Two great designs to chose from – Misfit Monsters or Wild Animals
• Visual and fun – encourage interaction in pairs, groups or whole class discussions
• Equitable and inclusive – ensure every child has an equal chance to speak, irrespective of their English language levels

How to get the best from class discussions

Write your children’s names on individual sticks and pop them in a container.

When you want children to respond in group or class discussions, pick up a stick at random and talk to the child whose name is on it.

Then put the stick aside before you pick up another name. This means you won’t be asking the same child twice and that all children have an equal opportunity to contribute to your lessons.

It also avoids choosing the same pupils over and over again subconsciously because you know they will give a satisfactory answer.

Alternatively, if you know there are children in your class who rarely volunteer to speak, pop their names in a container and make sure they are chosen at random during the school day. This can help a range of formative assessments, including comprehension skills, general language development and grammar usage. The following day you could focus on a different group of pupils.

How to support partner talk or group interaction

Use pairs of sticks to help young children identify their talk partner.

This is really important for newly arrived pupils who might not recognise names, but who want to follow classroom routines as seamlessly as possible. No-one wants to be the odd one out.

By using matching pairs, children can quickly and easily find their partner.

This could be someone they are going to work with on a regular basis.

Or you can shake things up a little by mixing up your pupil combinations.

Make pairing up children visual and fuss free.