LAN1260 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Active Listening
6 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
WEEK$7$
LAN1260$-$Spoken$Language$in$Primary$Schools$
!
Talking$and$thinking$across$the$curriculum$
We!are!learning!to!understand,!the!way!in!which!teachers’!talk!supports!students’!learning!
and!how!spoken!language!supports!learning!across!the!curriculum.!We!are!learning!to!
recognise!the!types!of!talk!that!support!learning!and!promote!learning!across!the!
curriculum!through!spoken!language.!!
!
Discourse$in$science!
It!has!been!argued!that!talk!is!the!foundation!of!all!learning!which!implicates!the!quality!of!
classroom!discourse,!if!this!is!so,!then!what!characteristics!of!classroom!discourse!support!
the!learning!of!science?!Productive!classroom!talk!is!characterised!by:!
• a!focus!on!building!students!ability!to!think!and!reason!!
• sustained!conversations!between!teachers!and!students!
• question!and!answer!sequences!that!promoted!reasoning!rather!than!recall!of!
information!
• sufficient!wait!time!to!allow!children!to!think!through!and!organise!their!answers,!!
• a!confident!and!supporting!classroom!culture!around!talk!with!an!emphasis!on!
courteous!listening!and!view!of!mistakes!as!part!of!learning.!!
Classroom!culture!to!support!a!discourse!of!inquiry,!!
A!discourse!of!inquiry!requires!that:!
• social!conventions!of!active!listening!and!speaking!are!understood!and!use!
• ground!rules!for!discussion!are!established!(eg!we!share!out!ideas!and!listen!to!one!
another,!we!talk!one!at!a!time,!we!respect!each!other’s!opinions)!
!
Five$principles$to$guide$the$development$of$a$classroom$culture$that$supports$productive$
talk:!
1. Collective:!teachers!and!children!address!learning!tasks!together!
2. Reciprocal:!teachers!and!children!listen!to!each!other,!share!ideas!and!consider!
alternative!viewpoints!
3. Supportive:!children!share!their!ideas!without!fear!and!help!each!other!to!reach!
understanding!
4. Cumulative:!teachers!and!children!build!on!their!own!and!others’!ideas!and!chain!
them!into!lines!of!thinking!and!enquiry!
5. Purposeful:!teachers!plan!and!steer!talk!with!specific!educational!goals!in!view!
!
To$achieve$this$culture$a$teacher$needs$to:!
• ask!open!questions!that!deliberately!enhance!the!talk!(guide,!stimulate)!
• sustain!the!question!
• extend!and!deepen!thinking!
• demonstrate!active!listening!
• allow!wait!time!for!thinking!and!formulating!
• vacate!the!floor!
• give!learning!focused!responses!
• reflect!on!and!review!learning!
!
