Scribd
Upload
12 views20 pages

INSET On Dialogic Teaching October 2023

The document discusses establishing ground rules for listening and speaking in classrooms through dialogue. It defines key features of effective dialogue, provides an example, and shows how teachers can facilitate discussions to improve student understanding. Teachers shared perspectives on listening and suggestions for integrating dialogic teaching to improve talk and listening skills.

Uploaded by

tanmandarin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
12 views20 pages

INSET On Dialogic Teaching October 2023

The document discusses establishing ground rules for listening and speaking in classrooms through dialogue. It defines key features of effective dialogue, provides an example, and shows how teachers can facilitate discussions to improve student understanding. Teachers shared perspectives on listening and suggestions for integrating dialogic teaching to improve talk and listening skills.

Uploaded by

tanmandarin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 20

Dialogic Teaching: Listening and

speaking in the classroom

October 2023
Dialogue?
Intended outcomes for this session

o Establish rationale for reflecting on listening and speaking practices


in our classrooms

o Define dialogue; identify key features and their usefulness for our
setting

o Have a go at co-constructing some ground rules/guiding principles


for listening and speaking in our setting
Snapshot of KCS Wimbledon staff survey taken 2022-
2023 when asked about listening in their classrooms:
‘Top-down policy change or tweak needed to put listening as a central focus in all that we do.’

‘Clear PSHE and broader curriculum links would be helpful.’

‘Explicit links with school values and work done on character formation would be especially useful for pupils struggling with more abstract
concepts.’

‘Explicit teaching … [We, the staff] recognise that many of our boys are still working on socialisation and communication skills post
lockdown learning… [pupils] have not had a full year in school for three years. These skills need to be retaught explicitly during PSHE
lessons, form periods and revisited wherever necessary around school.’

‘All staff taking ownership over poor listening during out of classroom settings…’

Having a zero-tolerance approach and not being reluctant to ‘wait’; highlighting poor listening and reminding boys of the expectations.’

‘All actively observing behaviour and reinforcing good manners and respect. How do the boys conduct themselves in dining room, speak to
serving staff? etc. Specific conduct note/sanction.’

‘Head off boys being frustrated and impatient while instilling good manners and listening skills.’
What is dialogue and what does ‘good’ dialogue involve?

‘Interaction in which every answer gives rise to another question.’

‘Instructive and authoritative.’

‘Open-ended and persuasive.’

‘A short exchange in which correct answers are accepted uncritically.’


What is dialogue and what does ‘good’ dialogue involve?

‘Interaction in which every answer gives rise to another question.’

‘A short exchange in which correct answers are accepted uncritically.’

‘Open-ended and persuasive.’

‘Instructive and authoritative.’


Key features of effective dialogue: What the
research says (see last slide for references)

Dialogue that maximises outcomes for learning is:

1. Collective 2. Reciprocal

3. Supportive 4. Cumulative 5. Purposeful

With a colleague, can you explain and give examples as to what each of
these features would involve in your setting?
Key features cont’d

1. Collective – ie classroom is a place of joint learning and enquiry


(including the teacher!)
2. Reciprocal – ie participants listen to each other, share ideas and
consider alternative viewpoints
3. Supportive – ie participants feel able to express ideas freely without
risk of embarrassment over ‘wrong’ answers and help each other to
reach common understandings
4. Cumulative – ie build on their own and each other’s contributions
and chain them into coherent lines of thinking and understanding
5. Purposeful – ie remains structured with specific learning goals in view
Dialogue in action
Here is an example of what we might already see in our classrooms that demonstrates the value of
dialogue to the learning process:
A group of year 5 pupils are engaged in dialogue in a science lesson with the aim of consolidating their
understanding of melting, freezing, evaporation and condensation. One pupil (P) questions the idea
shared by a fellow pupil that ‘lava becomes solid rock as it cools down’ is an example of freezing. The
teacher (T) facilitates the dialogue:
T: Why do you say it can’t be freezing?
P: Because it’s too hot. Not just the lava – on volcanic islands it’s also a really hot climate.
T: What temperature would it need to be for the lava to freeze?
P: Well, things freeze when they are really cold – zero degrees.
What about P’s understanding has emerged in this dialogue – what is
visible about their learning? How can the teacher facilitate a next step?
Post your ideas in the chat
Dialogue in action cont’d
T: Why do you say it can’t be freezing?
P: Because it’s too hot. Not just the lava – on volcanic islands it’s also a really hot climate.
T: What temperature would it need to be for the lava to freeze?
P: Well, things freeze when they are really cold – zero degrees.

T: Does anyone want to respond to what P has said? / Can anyone add value to…
What emerges is that the pupil has taken freezing to mean something
becoming a solid at zero degrees centigrade. Now that this
misconception is visible, the teacher can invite others to challenge it
and provide P with an experience through which she can reconstruct
her understanding. A more dynamic approach to feedback involves
the learner and the group in re-constructing/co-constructing their
understanding.
Dialogue?
Ground rules for listening and speaking:
The worst-case scenario
What are some implicit rules for talk we might ordinarily expect to find in
classrooms (and, perhaps, in other group settings?) that do not promote positive
dialogue for the purpose of learning?

Post your ideas in the chat


Ground rules for listening and speaking:
The worst-case scenario
What are some implicit rules for talk we might ordinarily expect to find in
classrooms (and, perhaps, in other group settings?) that do not promote positive
dialogue for the purpose of learning?
Here are some observations from colleagues and suggestions from research:
1. If you have a good idea, keep it to yourself.

2. Don’t disagree with your friends – back them up, come what may.

3. Let the most confident person dominate the discussion.

4. It’s unwise to challenge the most popular group member.

5. Don’t speak at all unless you are 100% sure about what you want to say.
Ground rules for listening and speaking:
The best-case scenario
What are the sorts of ground rules for listening and speaking that we would like to
establish in our classes? Discuss with a colleague.

Listening Speaking
Ground rules and guiding principles

Listening Speaking
Dialogue?
Intended outcomes for this session

o Establish rationale for reflecting on listening and speaking practices


in our classrooms

o Define dialogue; identify key features and their usefulness for our
setting

o Have a go at co-constructing some ground rules/guiding principles


for listening and speaking in our setting
Questions and next steps?

Please post in the chat:

Are there any questions about the session?

Are you keen to give this a try in your settings?

Are the other suggestions for how to integrate dialogic teaching as a means of
improving talk and more specifically ‘listening’ in our settings?
KCS ground rules for listening and speaking:
What Wimbledon colleagues came up with
1. Honest - We listen carefully and reflect honestly upon what we hear

2. Inclusive - We try to understand other points of view

3. Patient - We speak one at a time

4. Kind - We never make fun of other people or their ideas

5. Brave - We give reasons for what we think and ask others for their reasons
Further reading, resources and references

Further reading and resources:


• ‘Towards Dialogic Teaching: Re-thinking Classroom Talk’ by Robin Alexander
• ‘Better than Best Practice: Developing Learning and Teaching Through Dialogue’ by Adam Lefstein and Julia Snell
• https://thinkingtogether.educ.cam.ac.uk/resources/

Further references:
• Dawes, L., Mercer, N. and Wegerif, R. (2000 2nd Edition) Thinking Together: A Programme of Activities for Developing
Speaking, Listening and Thinking Skills in Children aged 8-11. Birmingham: Imaginative Minds.
• Lipman, M., (2003), Thinking in Education, 2nd Edition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Nikulin, D. (2010). Dialectic and Dialogue. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

You might also like