School Leaders

Transform every classroom into a more meaningful, educational, and insightful space.

Our Conversational Development program is designed exclusively for schools and offers a comprehensive solution for leveraging student talk to raise academic achievement. The 1-year program provides your entire faculty with access to the following resources:

School-wide training in a powerful conversation technique that can be used by teachers, counselors, administrators, and support staff
An Online Community of Practice with peer support and monthly trainings available to your faculty throughout the year
A digital library of conversation resources that are classroom-ready, along with customizable student handouts for seamless implementation.
An app to record live classroom conversations and receive personalized reports on talk ratios, open-ended questioning techniques, and wait time for in-depth analysis.
And much more...

See what educators are saying

The conversation was a great opportunity for the leadership of the building to learn from the different perspectives professionally and personally. This team had the opportunity to dive into critical thinking within our leadership team and how we can funnel this process to our principals, teachers, students, and families. It was enlightening to gain perspective into the different departments and divisions within our community school district. The team appreciated the engaging conversation.

Tasha London - Mental Health and SEL Coordinator, Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 Waukegan, Illinois

It's time to talk about TALK TIME

Studies have proven it. Classroom discussions not only help students learn. They promote positive classroom cultures that see reductions in student conflicts and disruptive behavior.

Student Voice

Students talking for just 1.7 minutes longer in class increases scores by 13.7%
(Sedova, et al, 2019)

Student Achievement

Student discussion is more effective than 94% of other classroom influencers.
(Hattie, 2018)

Comprehension

Student discourse increases analytical thinking and high-level comprehension.
(Murphy et al., 2018)

Curriculum

Classroom dialogue supports inter-disciplinary learning and mastery.
(Howe et al, 2019)

Under 7 Seconds

The median time a student talks per hour of class.

Research shows that the median of students talking in class is only 5.5 seconds. It’s crucial to equip teachers with effective tools to engage students in meaningful conversations. Metadata studies have also demonstrated a clear correlation between the amount of time students spend participating in classroom discussions and their academic achievement. (Sedova, et al, 2019)

Conversations empower minds, connect hearts and build stronger schools

Classroom Management

Mental Health

Socialization

Language Learning

Deep Questioning

Critical Thinking

Over 50 years of teaching experience

The Teach Different Method Was Created By Teachers For Teachers

This conversation method was conceived by two veteran educators from Chicago – Steve and Dan Fouts – both founders of Teach Different.

The Method uses quotes to spark discussions and challenges students to think critically, perspective-take and engage with deep questions. The Method is inter-disciplinary and can be applied in any educational setting.

Thoughtful Conversations Elevate School Culture
and Raise Student Achievement

Our Professional Development Philosophy

During great conversations, everyone feels safe to weigh in on the topic and experiences are shared in an open, non-judgmental setting. Metadata studies conclude that when students connect new concepts directly with past experiences, student achievement is accelerated faster than over 98% of common influencers (Hattie, 2010).

But student engagement is only half of the equation. It is just as important that the teachers themselves are engaged with the curriculum, so that they to can become a student in their own classroom and reinvigorate their own passion for learning.

Enrolling in our conversational development program is a step you can take now to support productive relationships between your teachers and students and ensure that your school community becomes a testament to critical thinking and compassion. We have all the resources you need to make unforgettable conversations routine. We look forward to partnering with you.

Talk To Us

Our partnerships are tailored to meet your unique needs, regardless of the size and makeup of your K-12 school or district. Your partnership will be customized to suit your requirements, and the pricing will be based on the extent of your project and specific implementation plans. Take the first step towards starting a conversation with use by sending us a message here. We’re excited to get the ball rolling with you!

School Leaders

Transform every classroom into a more meaningful, educational, and insightful space.

Our Conversational Development program is designed exclusively for schools and offers a comprehensive solution for leveraging student talk to raise academic achievement. The 1-year program provides your entire faculty with access to the following resources:

See what educators are saying

See what educators are saying

It's time to talk about TALK TIME

Studies have proven it. Classroom discussions not only help students learn. They promote positive classroom cultures that see reductions in student conflicts and disruptive behavior.

Student Voice

Student Achievement

Comprehension

Curriculum

Under 7 Seconds

The median time a student talks per hour of class.

Conversations empower minds, connect hearts and build stronger schools

Classroom Management

Mental Health

Socialization

Language Learning

Deep Questioning

Critical Thinking

The Teach Different Method Was Created By Teachers For Teachers

Thoughtful Conversations Elevate School Culture
and Raise Student Achievement

Our Professional Development Philosophy

Talk To Us

Get Started

Request a Private Invite

Explore the Community

Partner with Us

Equity

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Social Emotional Learning

Language Learning

Inquiry

Critical Thinking

Request for a private invite to the Teach Different Community of Educators

School Leaders

Transform every classroom into a more meaningful, educational, and insightful space.

Our Conversational Development program is designed exclusively for schools and offers a comprehensive solution for leveraging student talk to raise academic achievement. The 1-year program provides your entire faculty with access to the following resources:

See what educators are saying

See what educators are saying

It's time to talk about TALK TIME

Studies have proven it. Classroom discussions not only help students learn. They promote positive classroom cultures that see reductions in student conflicts and disruptive behavior.

Student Voice

Student Achievement

Comprehension

Curriculum

Under 7 Seconds

The median time a student talks per hour of class.

Conversations empower minds, connect hearts and build stronger schools

Classroom Management

Mental Health

Socialization

Language Learning

Deep Questioning

Critical Thinking

The Teach Different Method Was Created By Teachers For Teachers

Thoughtful Conversations Elevate School Culture and Raise Student Achievement

Our Professional Development Philosophy

Talk To Us

Get Started

Request a Private Invite

Explore the Community

Partner with Us

Login with your site account

Register a new account

Equity

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Social Emotional Learning

Language Learning

Inquiry

Critical Thinking

Request for a private invite to the Teach Different Community of Educators

Thoughtful Conversations Elevate School Culture
and Raise Student Achievement