Grounded in neuroscience and oral language research, this presentation gives elementary and middle school leaders and administrators information about how student talk can be a valuable and powerful vehicle for supporting student learning in the classroom. Creating intentional and productive spaces for student talk takes advantage of children’s penchant for talking and channels it toward students actively processing and thinking critically about content learned in a sociocultural context. Learn how talking physically affects engagement and cognition and take away specific, practical strategies for bringing different kinds of student talk into literacy instruction to motivate all levels of learners.