In instructional conversations, teachers focus on ideas that are relevant for students and have some educational meaning. Teachers are able to build on the students' ideas and guide the students to new levels of understanding, through their already existing background knowledge. It is a process by which the teacher learns as well as instructs. The teacher should be able to asses what the children are thinking and guide them through scaffolding into areas of higher processing.
             In order for instructional conversations to take place all students must respect the ideas and feeling of others as well as their own. The students can not fear sharing their opinions or making a statement in front of their peers. The teacher should not tolerate (in any situation) laughing at another students ideas or philosophies. In fact, many of the principles of brainstorming should also apply here since they are very similar. Such as deferring judgement, borrowing of ideas and also encouraging wild ideas. (Woolfolk, p121)
             Instructional conversations should help students in situations where they will work together. Since each student should be paying attention, and respecting others ideas, and learning from them. In a sense the students should be learning from other students and not necessarily the teacher. This can help a variety of students in a variety of ways. For example a gifted student should be able to explain his or her ideas and relate them to others. In relating them the student is learning more about his or her own ideas. The student who is listening might gain insight from another student perspective instead of only the teachers.
             In a real world situation instructional conversations are more likely to occur than a classroom setting. Therefore teachers are helping students to succeed in many areas of life. They are being thought to think by themselves, to generate their own ideas and answers and not necessarily regurgit...