English as a New Language Early to Middle Childhood National Board Component 1 Practice Exam

Talking Chips use colored chips as a concrete cue to manage discourse and ensure turn-taking in discussions. Each student gets a set of chips in a particular color and uses them to signal when they have the floor and are ready to speak, or to request another turn. The visual and tactile nature of the chips helps all students see who has spoken, who still has turns left, and when it’s someone’s turn to contribute, which reduces interruptions and encourages quieter students to participate. This approach gives every student an opportunity to contribute and keeps the discussion orderly.

Other methods may involve passing papers or collecting opinions, or generating ideas without a built-in system for regulating speaking turns, so they don’t directly structure the flow of a live discourse the way Talking Chips do.