How to encourage discussion & dialogue to support learning in the University classroom

1. How to encourage discussion & dialogue to support learning in the University classroom H. Emily Hayden, PhD., Assistant Professor, Learning and Instruction emilyh@buffalo.edu Target Your Teaching Conference…for teaching assistants University at Buffalo, August 17, 2012

2. Our Intentions…for today? Answering the following two questions:

3. Informants of our Intentions WHY? Talk is the sea upon which all else floats Jimmy Britton , Language and Learning, 1970, p.3 We internalize talk and it becomes thought We externalize talk and it becomes our link to social reality We elaborate talk and it becomes our bridge to literacy Don Rubin, Perspectives on talk and learning, 1990, p. 3.

4. Informants of our Intentions WHY? An expert teacher balances: • deep & varied content knowledge • extensive pedagogy: proven methods for successful teaching (Bransford, Darling-Hammond, & LePage, 2005; Shulman, 1986). with: • the unpredictability of people & environments: each new day can be “fraught with surprises” (Shulman, 1999, p. xiii).

5. Talk shapes…

6. Classroom Talk Research . . . WHY? • …when students talk, teachers can listen and then respond by adjusting in the moment teaching and lesson planning to better meet student needs and teacher instructional goals.

7. Reflecting on your teaching … WHY?

8. Teacher talk can… HOW?

9. HOW?

10. Q U E S T I O N I N G T Y P O L O G Y

11. Teacher follow-up to student response is what really matters … HOW?

12. Open ended questions: • Tell me more about that … • I noticed you said ____ and that really sparked my interest. Can you say more? • When you said ___ it made me think on _____. What do you think? • How do you think ___ connects with ___? Or does it? • Do you agree with ___? Why? • In your opinion ___ • Have you ever ___

13. In addition to follow-up responses, other explicit modeling we can do: • Up front & right away, establish a climate: • getting to know you, letting you get to know me • Community of inquiry w/ professional expectations: • language for all (including body language) • cell phones & newspapers, • academic integrity

14. More explicit modeling … • Circulate! • Make eye contact • Try to learn names • Wait time • Rephrasing questions • Break large questions down: Adaptive expertise—early tasks---after those?

15. Handouts & activities “Early Memory: The California Zephyr” (Derricotte, 1997, pp. 25-27) • What is this piece about? (in 1 word) • Find 3 specific sentences to support. • Share with “elbow partner”. • Group with another pair and share. Practice asking an open-ended question to encourage elaboration!

16. From handout: • formulate 1 or 2 questions that members of your group agree would be interesting to discuss • Define a concept, then think of 1 example & explain how it illustrates • In your group take 1 position on this issue & list all reasons/arguments for—then take different position & list all reasons/arguments for

17. Another way: “What does this piece say?” “What does this piece do?” • For each paragraph, summarize briefly what the author is saying—using your own words, explain to a partner what the paragraph is about • For each paragraph, explain briefly what the author is doing—using your own words, explain to a partner why the paragraph is included

18. Questions?Feedback Form

19. References Alexander, R. (2006). Towards dialogic teaching: Rethinking classroom talk (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Dialogos. Boyd, M. & Galda, L. (2011). Real talk in elementary classrooms: Effective oral language practice. New York: Guildford Press. Boyd, M. & Rubin, D. (2006). How contingent questioning promotes extended student talk: A function of display questions. Journal of Literacy Research, 38 (2), 141-169. Bransford, J., Darling-Hammond, L. & LePage, P. (2005). Introduction. In Darling-Hammond, L., and Bransford, J. (Eds.) Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do (pp. 1-39). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Cochran-Smith, M. & Lytle, S. (1993). Inside/Outside: Teacher research and knowledge. Columbia University, Teachers College Press. Derricotte, T. (1997). The black notebooks. New York, NY: W. W. Norton. Dewey, J. (1916/1985). Democracy and Education. The Middle Works. Vol. 9. Carbondale: SUP. Hammerness, K., Darling-Hammond, L., Bransford, J., Berliner, D., Cochran-Smith, M., McDonald, M. & Zeichner, K. (2005). How teachers learn and develop. In Darling,-Hammond, L., and Bransford, J. (Eds.) Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do (pp. 358-389). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Nystrand, M. (2006). Research on the role of classroom discourse as it affects reading comprehension. Research in the Teaching of English, 40 (4), 392-412. Salvatori, M. (2000). Difficulty: The great educational divide. In P. Hutchings (Ed.) Opening lines: Approaches to the scholarship of teaching and learning. Menlo Park, CA: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Schon, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books. Shulman, L. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15, 4-14. Shulman, L. (1999). Foreword. In Darling-Hammond, L., Sykes, G. Eds. Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp. xi-xxiii). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Soter, A. (2007). The use of discussion as a pedagogical tool in the university context. In Donnermeyer, J. (Ed.), Talking about teaching: Essays by members of the Ohio State University Academy of Teaching. (pp. 30-43). Columbus, Ohio. Wenglinsky, H. (2000). How teaching matters: Bringing the classroom back into the discussions of teacher quality. Princeton, NY: Educational Testing Service. Retrieved October 29, 2010 from http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICTEAMAT.pdf Wells, G. (Ed.). (2001). The case for dialogic inquiry. In Action talk & text: Learning and teaching through inquiry. Wells, G. (Ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.