How to get 100% engagement during partner share and turn & talk
Students often just wait for the teacher to give answers rather than participating in partner discussions, leaving teachers stuck at around 80% engagement despite trying strategies like popsicle sticks, points, and advance warnings. This lack of complete participation during turn and talk activities is consistently flagged during observations, making it difficult to achieve full accountability across the room.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Giving students a heads up before calling on themDid this help you?
- 2Using popsicle sticks for random selectionDid this help you?
- 3Awarding points for answersDid this help you?
- 4Asking students to turn back to their partner if they lack an answerDid this help you?
- 5Walking around the room to listen in on responsesDid this help you?
- 6Cold calling studentsDid this help you?
- 7Using pull sticks with namesDid this help you?
- 8Collecting workbook pages or grading completionDid this help you?
- 9Giving extra credit tied to participationDid this help you?
- 10Letting students discuss problems at their tables firstDid this help you?
- 11Using individual whiteboardsDid this help you?
- 12Giving alternative textbook assignments when nobody volunteersDid this help you?
- 13relying entirely on direct instruction, lecture, and whole-class bookworkDid this help you?
- 14using popsicle sticks with student numbers drawn randomly to force participationDid this help you?
- 15dropping project-based learning and collaborative activities completely in favor of teacher-led instructionDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“It feels like it's ignoring the reality that 20 of the 34 students in my classes don't do any work.”source ↗
“If I ask them to "think, share, pair", they just blankly stare at each other or talk about literally anything other than the topic at hand.”source ↗
“Not to mention, in general whenever I let go of the reins things turn to shit, and it gets so loud in that room.”source ↗
“I feel the amount of work I'm doing with direct instruction is exhausting, but I just don't know what else to do.”source ↗
“My students often just wait for me to give them answers like I could stand there for the entire 90 minutes in math and no one would say anything.”source ↗
“Chemistry with anything and everything under the sun for students…..this does not work. It’s chaos when it’s not direct instruction time.”source ↗
“I can’t let them have a discussion because 4/35 kids are the only ones who ever raise their hand and offer ideas.”source ↗
“Similar grade restriction here. It’s hard.”source ↗
“My kryptonite seems to be getting 100% engagement during turn & talk/partner share. I can walk around the room and listen in on great responses from 80% of the class but one thing I continue to hear from observations is that I didn’t get 100% engagement.”source ↗
“I feel like I have tried a number of things; including giving a heads up to students I’ll be calling on, popsicle sticks, giving “points“ for answers, or even asking students to turn back to their partner if they don’t have an answer.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 10How to balance classroom control with letting students talk
- 11How do you talk to a defensive parent who denies their child's behavior?