Talk tokens
Talk tokens are useful tools to limit dominant voices or to encourage participation from the quieter students in the group. They are also a helpful indicator of who has participated in the discussion.
You could use the following as tokens:
Students are given a set number of tokens which they ‘spend’ when they make a contribution to the discussion. Give students a maximum of six tokens and encourage them to use a minimum number in a lesson. Each token can be given a time limit, such as 30 seconds or a limit of one comment per token.
You will need to ensure that there is no swapping or trading of tokens during the discussion!
Talk objects
A ‘talk object’ can be used to enforce the ground rule that only one person at a time may speak, so that a student is only allowed to talk when they are holding the object.
A generic object such as a microphone or a ball can be used or the object could be themed to the discussion. For example, a toy polar bear could be used when discussing the effects of climate change.
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