ABSTRACT
The milk starts flowing—at first just a trickle, then suddenly surging out in a big splash, the flow getting away from the child. It is a deliberate stance, an identity, even, that guides interactions with students from the time they step through our doorway to the time they depart. There are many opportunities for Hands-Down Conversations throughout the day, but that doesn’t mean they occur all day long. In a Hands-Down community, conversation and content ride the seesaw in a similar fashion. Children come to school with a robust verbal life and very capable talk skills that have been acquired by speaking with and listening to their families and communities. Then the students are able to try out that new dialogue skill while simultaneously engaging in math or literacy content. The beauty of teaching talk is that it also helps the people teach the content.
