Not all mathematics discussions are alike. It's one thing to ask students to share how they solved a problem, to get ideas out on the table so that their thinking becomes visible; but knowing what to do with students' ideas--where to go with them--can be a daunting task. Intentional Talk provides teachers with a framework for planning and facilitating purposeful mathematics discussions that enrich and deepen student learning.

According to Elham Kazemi and Allison Hintz, the critical first step is to identify a discussion's goal and then understand how to structure and...