1. SPEAKING AND LISTENING LEARNING TO TALK
Semester 1
SPEAKING AND LISTENING LEARNING TO TALK
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Year 1 BA Primary
Core 1 Lead Lecture

2. What are the benefits of talk in the context of learning?
Semester 1
It is empowering
It can facilitate learning at an individual level, extending our own knowledge and understanding
It supports problem-solving
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1 – it enables you to communicate and articulate your own views and opinions
2 – it unpacks and builds on our own ideas, learning from others, developing a wide range of vocab, making concrete the thoughts and ideas in our heads
It is a learned behaviour / skill which can be developed and refined with practice
3 – joint ownership of a problem, sense of team work, building on your own and the ideas of others for a common purpose

3. LEARNING INTENTIONS
Semester 1
Develop awareness of the important link between speaking, listening and learning
Know that speaking and listening underpins effective learning in all core subjects
Know about the role of the teacher in planning opportunities for learning through speaking and listening
Know some key principles for effective talk
To consider the role of exploratory talk in supporting children’s learning.
To identify the role of the teacher in supporting exploratory talk in the classroom.
To recognise the way in which stories as a context for learning can support exploratory talk and the learning of key ideas in the core subjects.
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4. SCHOOL BASED INDEPENDENT STUDY TASK (KS1 AND KS2)
Semester 1: Exploratory Talk in Science       
This is a cross core activity
Reflect on  your role in developing high quality exploratory talk with children in the context of …
e.g. (Science – (EYs Developing Knowledge and Understanding of the World)
There are two parts to this directed task: 
a)    Reflect on questioning (focused lesson observation)
b) Talk Box 
Semester 1
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5. A) REFLECTING ON QUESTIONING
Work with another student in your school (you will be on paired placement) 
Using the picture book Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, lead some exploratory talk with a small group of children. 
Plan some questions to engage the children in talk about an age appropriate aspect of the book for between minutes.
The talk may be mostly focused on English, Maths or Science
While you are leading the exploratory talk, your partner student will observe.
At the end of the talk, discuss with your partner your experience of leading exploratory talk and identify 1 or 2 most interesting insights or observations that emerge. Jot them down on the bottom of your plan.
Guidance for planning and observing the exploratory talk will be provided during seminars in semester 1.
Use the frame below to analyse the speaking and listening during the exploratory talk session. You can use the headings and layout to type your own frame.
Semester 1
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6. Semester 1
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7. SUPPORTING TALK – TALK BOXES
Semester 1
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8. Semester 1
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9. Talk as the foundation of learning
Semester 1
….talk is much more than an aid to effective teaching. Children, we now know, need to talk, and to experience a rich diet of spoken language, in order to think and to learn.
Reading, writing and number may be acknowledged curriculum ‘basics’, but talk is arguably the true foundation of learning.
(Alexander, 2004 – Towards Dialogic Teaching)
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10. Dialogue and Dialogic Talk
Semester 1
Dialogue
conversation between individuals
Dialogic Talk
development of ideas in talk – exploring in depth a situation, problem or possible answer
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Dialogue can be question-answer or listen-tell
Dialogic talk
more consistently searching, reciprocal and extended
is opp to stimulate and extend children’s thinking, and to advance their learning and
understanding
Example…

11. MERCER, WEGERIF AND DAWES(1999) MODEL
Semester 1
Endorse a socio-cultural view of learning and illustrate the benefits of training children in the use of language to aid logical thinking.
Takes long turn at talk
Uses “because”
Uses “I think”
Uses “I agree”
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12. THE DOWNING MODEL
Semester 1
Level 1 – reflects a refusal, or inability, to enter into a discussion
Level 2 – makes a claim to knowledge (I think, I believe, I know, I want to know)
Level 3 – offers grounds to support a claim (because)
Level 4 – supports a claim with further evidence (offers 2 or more reasons – might, definite, sure, maybe…)
Level 5 – responds to ideas from others (listens and adjusts position accordingly)
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13. Semester 1
Level 6 – Able to sustain an argument (uses skills necessary e.g. listening, reinforcing, adjusting, questioning)
Level 7 – Evaluates the evidence and draws conclusions (recognises others, comes to a reasoned judgement and that any conclusion is provisional, may need to gather further information)
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14. FEATURES OF AUTHORITATIVE AND DIALOGIC TALK
Semester 1
(Harlen, W. (2004) PSR 83)
Authoritative Talk
Controlled by the teacher
Direction of talk depends on what teacher says.
Teacher questioning for ‘right’ answers.
Short ‘wait’ time
Dialogic Talk
Controlled by pupils and teacher.
Direction depends on what pupils say.
Teacher questioning for reasoning and speculation
Longer ‘wait’ time
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15. Semester 1
“It is through language, especially spoken language, that teachers teach and children learn.”
Alexander 2004 p2
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16. Open Questions Closed Semester 1
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17. Questions for Exploratory Talk around books
Semester 1
What are the most interesting aspects of the book that you could use to develop exploratory talk?
Speculative (what if?) Reflective (why? How?) Literal
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18. 5/6) Why has the author made the colours change?
2) where has he been
3) what would you do if you found a plane? What else could he have found?
5/6) Why has the author made the colours change?
7) how well do the words ‘Suddenly the plane spluttered’ work?
8)What would you do?
9/10) if he rang home, what would the boy be saying? Make a call to your partner
11/12) how does the language work in ‘ …steering the ship towards a flicker of light, he landed on the moon with a bump.’ How would it be different if the author deleted the blue words?
Semester 1
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19. 16) What ideas are they sharing? How would you get home?
13) Are there really monsters in the dark? Are the pictures the author’s way of representing fear?
14) How did the boy and the Martian feel? Act out their conversation with a partner.
16) What ideas are they sharing? How would you get home?
Semester 1
17/18) how has the author organised words and pictures on this double page spread?
19/20) make up a question
26) make up a question ( how might they meet again? How are they feeling?
29) make up a question
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20. Semester 1
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21. Our challenge As teachers, we need to:
Guide and develop children’s contributions
Give them something interesting and relevant to talk about
Offer the space to explore an idea
Ask questions that lead to extended, thoughtful, reasoned answers
Make talk visible
Agree ‘ground rules’
Be good talk models
Balance teacher-led discussion and group work
Use a repertoire of talk
Become a dialogic teacher
Alexander (2006)
Semester 1
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22. Learning is a process not a product
BRUNER (1966)
Semester 1
Learning is a process not a product
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23. In conclusion
Semester 1
“A teacher is not simply the instructor or facilitator of the learning of a large and disparate set of individuals, but rather is a potential creator of a ‘community of enquiry’ in a classroom…(children) are apprentices in collective thinking under the expert guidance of their teacher. ..the teacher has to guide children in how to talk and work together and agree some clear ground rules for making it happen.” (Mercer 2000)
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24. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Semester 1
Alexander, R.J. (2006) Dialogic Talk Alexander, R.J. (2008) Towards Dialogic Teaching: rethinking classroom talk. York: Dialogos. (First edition 2004) Bruner, J. (1966) Toward a theory of instruction. Mass, USA: Harvard University Press Mercer, N. (2000) Words and Minds: How we use language to think together. London: Routledge Mercer, N., Wegerif, R. and Dawes, L. (1999) “Children’s talk and the development of reasoning in the classroom.” British Educational Research Journal, 25, 1, Naylor, S., Downing, B. and Keogh, B. (2001) “An empirical study of argumentation in primary science, using Concept Cartoons as a stimulus.” Paper presented at the 3rd Conference of the European Science Education Research Association Conference. Thessaloniki, Greece. August, 2001.
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