Dialogic teaching in language classrooms

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Dialogic teachingin language classrooms
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Do you know what RHINOs are?
Do you discover any Rhinos in your classrooms?

• Really Here In Name Only

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How often are you a Rhino?
When? Where? In what contexts?
Well, how often do you discover parrots in your
class?
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Common types of language classroom talks

• Expository
• Interrogatory
• Dialogic
• Evaluative

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Classroom talks as a vehicle for

• Rote learning
• Exposition or Explanation
• Direct instruction
• Scaffolded instruction

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Classroom talks as a vehicle for

• Problem solving
• Task completion
• Enquiry
• Discussion

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Learning talks

• The ability to narrate, explain, question,
  answer, discuss, negotiate and
• The preparedness to listen, to be receptive to
  ideas

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Teaching talk

• Rote (teacher class)
• the drilling of forms, sounds etc. through
  constant repetition
• Recitation (teacher-class or teacher-group)
• cues to stimulate recall of what has been learned

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Teaching talk (cont)

• Instruction/exposition (teacher-class,
  teacher-group, teacher-individual)
• instruct, impart information, explain

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Teaching talk (cont)

• Scaffolded dialogue (teacher-class,
  teacher-group, teacher-individual, pupil-pupil)
• cueing for responses from pupils through
  structured or sequenced prompts

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Teaching talk (cont)

• Discussion (pupil-pupil with or without teacher)
• talk among members intended to enable ideas,
  information to be shared or problems to be solved

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The tripartite dialogic repertoire for language
teachers

• Learning talk - narrate, explain, question and
  answer, active listening
• Teaching talk - rote, recitation, exposition,
  discussion, dialogue
• Interactive strategies (whole class teaching,
  group work led by teacher, group work led by
  students, paired work, one-to-one teacher-pupil
  discussion)

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Five dialogic principles

• Collective
• T/P address learning tasks together
• Reciprocal
• T/P active listening and sharing
• Supportive
• P expresses freely in a supportive environment

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Five dialogic principles (cont)

• Cumulative
• T/P build on own ideas and construct new
  understanding
• Purposeful
• T plans and steer classroom talk with specific
  educational goals in view

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Dialogic teaching and Collaborative Lesson
Planning

• Manipulating and relating the tripartite dialogic
  repertoire and the five dialogic principles to
  curriculum planning, putting it in action, and
  reflect

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Teachers dialogues as triggers to cycles of
transformation
Growth and Development
Problem Situations
Cognitive / Pedagogical Dissonance
Reflections
Intervention Strategies and Learning experiences
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Teachers dialogues as triggers to cycles of
transformation

• Problem Situations
• Cognitive/ Pedagogical
• Dissonance

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Intervention Strategies and Learning
experiences
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• The task is a piece of meaning-focused work
  involving learners in comprehending, producing
  and/or interacting in the target language, and
  the tasks are analyzed according to their goals,
  input, activities, settings and roles.
• (Nunan, 1992)

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• Reflections
• When?
• How deep?
• Who?
• Why?

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Features of interactive teaching

• Surface features
• Engaging pupils
• Pupil practical and active involvement
• Broad pupil participation
• Collaborative activity
• Conveying knowledge

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• Deep features
• Assessing and extending knowledge
• Reciprocity and meaning making
• Attention to thinking and learning skills
• Attention to pupils social and emotional
  needs/skills

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The range of possible questions to ask in
teachers dialogues

• On intentions/purposes
• What were your intentions/aims/ in using this
  strategy
• How far successful?
• Your expectations on pupils?
• Did the context influence your purposes?

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On Self awareness

• Feelings at the moment?
• Roots to this feeling?

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On Technical reflection

• What were you doing?
• How did you decide what outcomes were
  appropriate?
• Why chose this strategy?
• Breaking down into different aspects
• How prior experiences influence your actions?

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On Practical reflection

• Your assumption?
• Alternate actions/solutions?
• Other sources of alternate knowledge?
• What values were presented in your teaching?

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On Critical reflection

• What ethical/moral choices made?
• What wider forces applied?
• How are pupils affected by your actions?
• Does the practice offer equality?
• Moyles et. al. (2003)
• Interactive Teaching in the Primary School

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• Growth and development in knowledge, skills and
  dispositions in language teaching and learning
• What has been learned?
• How is it learned ?

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Variations in the curriculum design and teaching
strategies by schools focus of dialogues in the
sharing session

• Group 1
• Moving away from guided writing
• - Encouraging discussion among pupils

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Variations in the curriculum design and teaching
strategies by schools focus of dialogues in the
sharing session (cont)

• Group 2
• Using graphic organizers to improve reading and
  writing
• - Interacting with the prints for meaning

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Variations in the curriculum design and teaching
strategies by schools focus of dialogues in the
sharing session (cont)

• Group 3
• Promoting oral interaction
• The Input Practice Feedback loop

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Variations in the curriculum design and teaching
strategies by schools focus of dialogues in the
sharing session (cont)

• Group 4
• Journal writing as a method to improve students
  writing
• - Allowing genuine communication between teachers
  and students

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Variations in the curriculum design and teaching
strategies by schools focus of dialogues in the
sharing session (cont)

• Group 5
• Reading workshop
• - Using instructional strategies to help
  construct meaning from texts

Teachers
Students
Construct meaning
Texts
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A final note

• Beyond the dialogue of the voices, then, is a
  dialogue of minds.
• (Alexander, 2005)