Teach Students to Explain Their Thinking: 4 Little Words
Teaching students to explain their thinking doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t mean you need to spend hours revising your lesson plans and creating new activities. You can increase the rigor of your classroom discussions and teach students to explain their reasoning with a simple, short phrase.
Maybe you’re having a math discussion and a student says:
“I think the answer is 3/4.”
Or you’re discussing a story and a student says:
“I think the character was angry because she felt left out.”
It’s tempting to accept those responses at face value and move on. You are thinking, “Great, that is the right answer. I have a lot to cover before recess.” So you keep the discussion flowing, ask the next question, move on to the next student… But what if that means you miss the chance to teach a student to explain their thinking?
Try These 4 Words Instead
Teaching students to explain their thinking doesn’t have to take a lot of instructional time. You just have to be willing to spend a few minutes going deeper. Instead of moving on, look at the student and respond:
“Say more about that.”
Then pause.
Keep looking at the student.
And wait.
This simple classroom discussion strategy is one of my favorite ways to get students to explain their thinking, elaborate on their ideas, and reveal their reasoning.
And there’s another benefit that I love even more:
It helps me uncover misconceptions. (For more about 8 common decimal misconceptions and how to avoid them, click here!)
Why This Is Such a Powerful Strategy for Helping Students to Explain Their Thinking
As teachers, we’re often focused on getting students to the correct answer.
But an answer doesn’t always tell us what a student understands.
- A student might have the right answer for the wrong reason.
- A student might have an incomplete understanding of the concept.
- Or a student might understand the concept much more deeply than their brief answer suggests.
When we ask students to say more about their thinking, we give them an opportunity to show us what is happening in their heads.
That’s valuable formative assessment.
Instead of simply knowing what a student thinks, we get to hear why they think it. That raises the rigor of your classroom discussions and pushes students to really think things through.
Teaching Students to Explain Their Thinking Can Be Simple
When a student gives an answer or makes an observation that you want to explore further, respond with:
“Say more about that.”
Then stop talking.
Look at the student.
Wait.
That’s it.
The pause is important. It’s tempting to fill the silence. We want to rephrase the question, offer a hint, or ask another question because we’re afraid the student doesn’t know what to say.
But give them a few seconds. Students often need a little time to organize their ideas and figure out what to say.
That silence communicates something important:
“I’m interested in your thinking, and I really want to hear more.”
“Say More” Encourages Students to Explain Their Math Reasoning
Consider a math discussion. You ask:
“Which fraction is greater: 3/4 or 2/3?”
A student responds:
“3/4 is greater.”
Instead of immediately asking another question, try:
“Say more about that.”
The student might respond:
“Because 3 is bigger than 2.”
Now you’ve learned something important. The student has the correct answer but may not understand why. That’s a misconception you might have missed if you simply moved on.
But perhaps another student responds:
“I know 3/4 is greater because if I put both fractions on a number line, 3/4 is farther to the right than 2/3.”
Now you have evidence of a much deeper understanding. The original answer didn’t tell you that – the explanation did.
“Say More” Works Beautifully in Reading Discussions
This strategy isn’t just for math. It’s also powerful during reading comprehension discussions. Suppose you’re discussing a character and a student says:
“I think Maya was embarrassed.”
You might be tempted to respond, “Why do you think that?” If you’re lucky, the student will point out some text evidence that supports their thinking, and the discussion will move on to the next question.
But if you pause, and respond:
“Say more about that.”
You might hear….
“She was embarrassed because everyone laughed when she gave the wrong answer. I would feel embarrassed if everyone laughed at me, so I think she might be too.”
Now you know that student is using real world connections to make inferences about a text. You can point out that thoughtful inference, and all the sudden your student is thinking about their thinking. You are giving them the strategies to build metacognition.
The goal isn’t simply to get students talking.
The goal is to get students thinking.
“Say More” Is Different From Asking Another Question
We ask questions all day long.
- “Why do you think that?”
- “What makes you say that?”
- “What evidence do you have?”
- “How do you know?”
- “Can you explain?”
Those are all useful questions. But sometimes, asking another specific question puts too much of the thinking back on the teacher.
“Say more about that” is wonderfully open-ended.
It puts the responsibility back on the student. The student gets to decide:
What part of my thinking should I explain?
That can lead to much richer responses and discoveries than a series of questions that you plan.
The Pause Is Part of the Strategy
If you try this strategy, don’t underestimate the importance of waiting. Imagine this:
Teacher: “Say more about that.”
Student pauses.
Teacher: “Why do you think…”
Stop.
You’ve already rescued them. You’ve already pointed them in the direction that they should go. You’ve already taught them that there is correct follow up, and that they should spend their time trying to figure out what you want to hear.
If you want to teach your students to explain THEIR thinking, put the responsibility on them.
Instead, try:
Teacher: “Say more about that.”
Pause.
Look at the student.
Wait.
You may be surprised by what happens. Students often need a few seconds to organize their thoughts before they can articulate themThat doesn’t mean they don’t know.
It means thinking takes time.
When we immediately jump in to fill the silence, we sometimes take away the opportunity for students to do that thinking.
Students Begin to Expect That Their Thinking Matters
There’s another reason I love this strategy. Over time, students begin to understand that a classroom discussion isn’t just about producing the answer the teacher wants. Their ideas are worth exploring.
When you say:
“Say more about that.”
the message isn’t:
“Your answer isn’t good enough.”
The message is:
“I’m interested in your thinking.”
That’s a subtle but important difference. Students learn that their first response doesn’t have to be the end of the conversation.
They can:
- Explain.
- Clarify.
- Add evidence.
- Change their thinking.
- Build on an idea.
- And listen to the thinking of their classmates.
Those are important discussion skills.
How to Use This Teaching Strategy in Your Classroom
You don’t need to redesign your lessons to use this strategy. Simply listen for opportunities to stretch student thinking during the discussions you’re already having.
During math talks
When a student shares an answer or strategy:
“Say more about that.”
Listen for the reasoning behind the strategy.
During reading discussions
When a student makes an interpretation:
“Say more about that.”
Listen for evidence from the text.
During science
When a student makes a prediction or explanation:
“Say more about that.”
Listen for the student’s understanding of the scientific concept.
During social studies
When a student makes a claim about a historical event:
“Say more about that.”
Listen for the evidence or reasoning behind the claim.
During partner or whole-group discussions
When a student shares an interesting idea:
“Say more about that.”
Give the student the opportunity to develop the idea rather than immediately moving on.
If you are genuinely curious about your students’ thinking, you will be amazed at how they begin to explain their thinking more deeply over time. Teaching your students to explain their thinking with this simple strategy will help them internalize the expectation. Eventually, you won’t even have to ask. They will just naturally elaborate because that’s the routine.
Try It Tomorrow
During your next class discussion, choose one student response that you’d like to understand better. Instead of immediately asking another question, try these four words:
“Say more about that.”
Then pause.
Look at the student.
Wait.
Listen.
You may discover a misconception you didn’t know was there.
You may discover that a student understands something more deeply than you realized.
Or you may simply give a student the experience of knowing:
My teacher is genuinely interested in what I think.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what students need to become more willing to share their thinking.
The next time a student gives you an interesting answer, don’t be so quick to move on.
Try:
“Say more about that.”
Then listen.
Want More Practical Teaching Tips?
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