Answer their answer with a probe, not a verdict

Most classroom talk runs teacher question, student answer, teacher evaluation, next question. The accountable-talk research argues for swapping that third move: press for reasoning, ask for evidence, or revoice ("so you're saying...?") and hand it to the room ("who can add to that?") (Michaels, O'Connor & Resnick, 2008; Alexander, 2020). The answer stops being a full stop and becomes material. (Manning's dialogic-teaching-move-generator skill drills exactly these moves.)

In practice

• Learn three moves cold: "What makes you say that?", "So your claim is... have I got it?", "Who wants to build on or push back?"
• Probe right answers as often as wrong ones. If only errors get follow-ups, follow-ups become a tell, and students clam up.
• Hold your evaluation to the end of the exchange. Once you've said "exactly right", nobody adds anything.