Learning%20conversations%20and%20listening%20pedagogy

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy

• Bridget Egan

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy

• Concept formation is the result of a complex
  activity in which all the basic intellectual
  functions take part. The process cannot,
  therefore, be reduced to association, attention,
  imagery, inference, or determining tendencies.
  They are all indispensable, but they are
  insufficient without the use of the sign, or
  word, as the means by which we direct our mental
  operations, control their course, and channel
  them towards the solution of the problem
  confronting us (Vygotsky 1986 106)

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy

• if learning is considered to be the outcome of a
  process of cognitive construction, the
  involvement of both child and practitioner is a
  key factor The cognitive construction in this
  case would be mutual where each party engages
  with the understanding of the other and learning
  is achieved through a process of reflexive
  co-construction (Siraj-Blatchford Sylva 2004
  720)

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because.

• Insight into the childs mind 34 0f 44
• It gave me an insight into the child's play -
  often you see a child playing/drawing and think
  it's one thing, then find out it's something
  else.
• I like hearing them explore their own thinking
• It gave me insight into what children think about
  particular issues/how they think about the world
• It enabled me to understand the child's
  understanding of the activity
• It enabled me to gain knowledge about the child
  as a learner
• I enjoyed listening to children's explanations
  and their logic

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because.

• supporting children's learning 30 of 44
• It gives you the chance to further their learning
• It helped the child to ask questions, experiment
• It's a good way to extract a child's
  understanding and scaffold it
• It allowed the children to question their own
  thinking
• The child gained more meaning from their activity
• It was rewarding to work individually and see the
  'light bulb' shine when they grasp something new
• It was really interesting to see the child
  building on the conversation later

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because.

• relationships 19 of 44
• I gained knowledge of the child as a person
• It helped the child to be confident with me
• Children responded well to one-to-one attention

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because.

• Valuing the childs thoughts, giving children
  opportunities to express themselves 16 of 44
• It gives children the space and time to really
  express their thoughts and feelings
• It is a nice way to show that you value
  children's ideas although the activities were
  planned, the responses for from the children were
  spontaneous and sometimes unexpected
• Children feel like what they are saying is really
  being listened to and appreciated
• It enabled the child to take control of the
  conversation
• It helps with speaking and listening and
  practising the skills of conversation

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because.

• childrens engagement 4 of 44
• The children were very interested in what they
  were talking about and discovering
• By verbalising their ideas, the child became more
  enthusiastic

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because.

• Reflecting on their own practice 10 of 44
• Children knew much more than I expected
• It allowed me to develop my thinking further
• It enabled me to develop my responses and
  vocabulary to support their thinking
• Children's imagination was really inspiring
• Listening to the recording allowed me to reflect
  on my strengths and areas for improvement

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
Sustained shared thinking was difficult because.

• childrens lack of readiness/ unwillingness to
  talk 23 of 44
• The child doesn't always want to talk
• Some children are shy and it is hard to get them
  to open up
• It took time for children to develop enough trust
  to talk to me
• The children were not used to sustaining
  conversations

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because.

• the difficulty of avoiding being too directive
  16 of 44
• You need to be careful not to influence the
  child's responses too much
• It was difficult to judge how much I should be
  talking
• It was hard to keep the questions open
• It was hard not to direct conversation/ ask
  leading questions
• I had to be very careful in my questioning, so as
  not to direct child from my preconceived ideas

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Learning conversations and listening pedagogy
In order to get better at sustained shared
thinking I need

• evaluation of their own questioning and
  conversational skills 34 of 44
• To think about asking better/ more open ended
  questions
• To think about how to extend the discussion
• To ask questions without looking for a specific
  response
• To find out what sort of questions work well
• To plan my questions
• To plan the question level
• To think carefully about my responses
• To think of ways to encourage the quieter
  children
• To give the children more thinking time
• To make the conversations more exciting
• To allow the child to develop their own ideas and
  opinions
• To find out in advance what the child is
  interested in