Week 1 PGCE

To understand how speaking and listening underpin all aspects of learning both within and beyond literacy; To explore the different ways that teachers can engage children in talk-based activities; To understand the role of the teacher in facilitating rather than leading talk.

What was the impact of your location? Do you speak languages other than English? Were you/are you aware of being judged how you talk? Was there an influence of your family or peers? Were you aware of any impact of different media or popular culture?

“All that the children write, your response [as educator] to what they write, their response to each other, all this takes place afloat upon a sea of talk. Talk is what provides the links between you and them and what they write, between what they have written and each other.” (Britton, 1970: 29)

Talk as part of imaginative engagement Drama, role-play, literate activities Talk & first-hand experiences Interviews, visits, pictures, storytelling Directed talk linked to learning Talk partners, group discussion, presentations

What do you notice about the children’s use of language? What did you notice about the teacher’s use of language? Is there anything that surprised or interested you?

“Dialogic teaching harnesses the power of talk to engage children, stimulate and extend their thinking and advance learning and understanding” Alexander 2006:37

drilling of facts ideas and routines through constant repetition Rote questions that test or prompt recall of what has previously been encountered Questions that cue pupils to work out the answer from the clues provided Recitation telling pupils what to do and imparting information and explaining facts, principles and procedures Instruction/exposition

the exchange of ideas with a view to sharing information and solving problems Discussion achieving common understanding through structured, cumulative questioning and purposeful discussion Dialogue

I Initiation RResponse FFeedback (Sinclair and Coulthard 1975 )

Teachers: Guide and develop children’s contributions Are good talk models Make talk visible Agree ‘ground rules’ Balance teacher-led discussion and group work Give them something interesting to talk about Give space to explore an idea Ask questions that lead to extended, thoughtful, reasoned answers. Use a repertoire of talk Become a dialogic teacher Alexander (2006)

Exploratory talk is hesitant and incomplete because it enables the speaker to try out ideas, to hear how they sound, to see what others make of them, to arrange information and ideas into different patterns…in exploratory talk the speaker is more concerned with sorting out his or her own thoughts. Barnes D in Dawes L. and Mercer, N. (2008) Exploring Talk in School London: Sage

Lev Vygotsky Jerome Bruner Neil Mercer Robin Alexander Socrates

Vygotsky stressed that thought is not merely expressed in words it comes into existence through them He considered all speech to be socialised or to have a communicative function Children can learn effectively through interaction with a more knowledgeable other Corden, 2000, p.7-8

New information What they know and don’t know How to use language for thinking Make sense of the world By talking, it changes your thinking and then you have to develop new ways of using language. Lev Vygotsky Mercer, 2007

Joint activity Interthinking Intermental space Intramental space Articulate Analyse Chains of response Modify in the light of other people’s contributions

Bruner argued that: Learning is facilitated through organised and structured learning experiences Children need to be provided with opportunities to extend their current understanding Speech is a primary instrument of thought Bruner named the provision of appropriate frameworks for social interaction “scaffolding”. Corden, 2000, p. 9-11

Plan and set up activities that require: talk across the curriculum opportunities to talk at length speaking to different audiences talking with different levels of formality talking for different purposes

19 Open – children answer as they see fit and at the level of their own understanding Probing – further information or clarification is sought Reflective – children have to consider and evaluate Hypothetical – children consider situations and convey opinions, values and perceptions Primary National Strategy (2006) Excellence and Enjoyment DfES Ref: PCK-EN

Beginning phase Early phase Exploratory language Consolidating phase Conventional phase Proficient phase Advanced phase Key indicators - what might you see? Major teaching emphasis - what is your role? First Steps (2006) Previously titled: Indicators for Oral Language Developmental Continuum

Actively participate Ask each other questions Share relevant information Give reasons for their views Constructively criticise Try to reach agreement Mercer (2007) o Asking questions o Including relevant information o Justifying ideas o Having ground rules o Using reasoning words – if, but, because o Trying to reach an agreement o Trusting each other and acting as a team Mercer et al (1999)

Talking to think: why children need philosophical discussion sources/robert_fisher_talkingtothink.htm sources/robert_fisher_talkingtothink.htm Robert Fisher’s homepage

Britton, J. (1970). Language and learning. Harmondsworth: Penguin Geekie, P., Camborne, B., & Fitzsimmons, P. (1999) Understanding Literacy Development. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books pp Medwell, J., Wray, D., Pouslon, L., Fox, R., ( Teaching Literacy Effectively in the Primary School. Mercer, N. (2000) Words & Minds. London: Routledge pp Mercer, N. (1995) The Guided Construction of Knowledge. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Mercer, N. & Littleton, K. (2007) Dialogue and the development of children’s thinking. London:Routledge Myhill, D., Jones, S. & Hopper, R. (2006) Talking, Listening and Learning. Berkshire: OUP NAA (2004) Building a Picture of What Children Can Do. London: NAA OfSTED (2005) English : A review of inspection evidence. London: Ofsted