Learning through Conversation Exploring effective Communication to promote learning Kirsty Brown, Educational Psychologist

Conversation & shared understanding

The Czech Republic Germany USA Poland Video Enhanced Reflection on Communication

Learning through conversation exploring effective communication to promote learning 1.Impact of interaction in learning Optimising communication to promote learning 2.Reflecting with teachers on classroom conversations Exploring nature and process of change

The function of classroom interactions Across learning Increased motivation & ownership (eg. Matusov, 2001) Teaching more directed to individual need (Schacher, 2003) Promotes cooperative learning & child-child scaffolding (Meadows, 1998) Potential for positive impact on self-belief & identity (Dweck, 1999; Hattie, 2001) Conversational routines promoting self-regulation (Feeney & Ylvisaker, 1998) Increased attainment & achievement (eg. Schacher, 2003)

Across learning second/foreign language Role in negotiation of meaning in conversation (Pica, 1988) Role of give-and-take/constructing output in second language development (Swain, 2000) Regulating own learning through repeating conversational exchange (Ohta, 2000) The function of classroom interactions

Hattie’s model of feedback (2001) Self Self-regulation/ Meta-cognition Process Task Potential impact on the child’s self-belief Self-handicapping Learned hopelessness Discounting Adopting less challenging goals Social comparison Learning through effective interactions Independent learners

Learning through effective interactions Hattie (2001), Mercer (2000), Trevarthen (1998) Intersubjectivity Co-operation Dialogue Feedback Learning outcomes Learning behaviour Self-belief / Identity

MEDIATION & LEARNING INTERSUBJECTIVITY: CO-OPERATION INTERSUBJECTIVITY: ATTUNEMENT Modelling effective interactions

Second language learning (Van Lier, 2004) Intersubjectivities in the second language learning classroom Face to face activities direct experience/real communication attunement and emotional exchange Side-by-side activities shared attention about another object more effective for learning in the early stages? Group/class activities arrangement of activities to facilitate above

Modelling effective interactions Joint attention/cooperation about another topic Scaffold cooperation across group Emotional & conversational exchange Attuned body language Shared attention with children Dialogue Feedback Scaffolding learning PRIMARY INTERSUBJECTIVITY SECONDARY INTERSUBJECTIVITY MEDIATION & LEARNING

MEDIATION & LEARNING SECONDARY INTERSUBJECTIVITY PRIMARY INTERSUBJECTIVITY Sharing goals and feedback Scaffolding learning Cooperation Taking Turns ‘Yes’ Verbal ‘Yes’ Body Being Attentive Supporting teacher reflection on classroom conversations

Reflecting on Interactions in the classroom Key aims that the teachers developed in the project 1.To receive children & build more on children’s ideas Extend children’s ideas Request children to extend their ideas 2. To support the interaction between children Link children’s ideas Pass ideas between 2 children Passed ideas from child to group

Ideas develop within group  Pass to another child  Pass to group  Make links between children’s ideas Receives child’s initiative or response Extend child’s idea  Build on child’s idea  Request child to extend own idea Teacher makes initiative Reflecting on Interactions in the classroom

Changing classroom interactions Linking statements = 7 Linking statements = 26 Prior to reflection Child-child neg Child-teach neg Child-teacher self Child-child extend Child-teach extend Child-teach initiate Make request Give info Request extension Extend child Child-child neg Child-child self Child-teach self Child-child extend Child-teach extend Child-child initiate Child-teach initiate Make request Give info Request extension Extend child After reflection

Summary of change in conversations Teacher-talk Increased focus on child’s ideas and decreased focus on own ideas Increased use of linking statements Changed nature of talk – from content to process of cooperation Child-talk Increased time extending own ideas – with self, teacher & other children Increased time extending ideas of other children Decreased negative/ off-task interactions

Learning through effective interactions Hattie (2001), Mercer (2000), Trevarthen (1998) Intersubjectivity Co-operation Dialogue Feedback Learning outcomes Learning behaviour Self-belief / Identity

References Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis Hattie, J. (1999) Influences on student learning. Inaugural professional address, Uni Auckland. Matusov, E. (2001) Intersubjectivity as a way of informing teaching design for a community of learners classroom. Teaching and teacher education, 17 (4) Mercer, N. (2000) Words and minds, how we use language to think together. London: Routledge. Ohta, A.S. (2000) Rethinking recasts: A learner centred examination of corrective feedback in the Japanese language classroom. In J.K,Hall & L.S. Verplaetse (Eds.), Second and Foreign Language Learning Through Classroom Interaction. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Pica, T. (1988) Interactive adjustments as an outcome of NS-NNS negotiated interaction. Language Learning 38, Shacher, H. (2003) Who gains what from co-operative learning, an overview of eight studies. In Gillies, R.M. & Ashman, A.F. (Eds) Co-operative learning, the social and intellectual outcomes of learning in groups. London: Routledge Falmer. Swain, M. (2000) The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. In J.P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp ). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Trevathen, C. (1998) The concept and foundations of infant intersubjectivity. In S. Braten (Ed.), Intersubjective communication and emotion in early ontogeny (pp.15-46). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Van Lier, L. (2004) The Ecology of Language Learning. Paper presented at the UC language consortium conference on Theoretical and Pedagocial Perspectives. Ylvisaker, M., & Feeney, T. (1998). Collaborative brain injury intervention: Positive everyday routines. San Diego: Singular Publishing.