Learning conversations and listening pedagogy Bridget Egan

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)

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)

Learning conversations and listening pedagogy: I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because…. Insight into the child’s 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

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

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

Learning conversations and listening pedagogy: I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because…. Valuing the child’s 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

Learning conversations and listening pedagogy: I enjoyed sustained shared thinking because…. children’s 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

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

Learning conversations and listening pedagogy: Sustained shared thinking was difficult because…. children’s 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

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

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