Search

Teacher Education Programs (TEPs) face the issue of how to support preservice teachers in developing teaching skills that link theory and practice. The core practices approach offers a relevant alternative, including the definition of focal teaching practices and pedagogies of practice to promote them. One such pedagogy consists of approximations, through which preservice teachers can try out practices in low-stakes settings. These pedagogies are usually time intensive and can require substantive course restructuring. This raises the question of whether teaching simulations can be productively used in less intensive settings, and how these are perceived by students. We present the results of a quasi-experimental study conducted with preservice secondary teachers in Germany. The study assesses a novel teaching simulation and compares it with an established video-based analysis learning setting. Both conditions were implemented as part of a university-based seminar accompanying a five-month field experience focused on fostering productive classroom dialogue. The research aim was to assess the new simulation where a preservice teacher was meant to practice conducting productive classroom dialogue, which was videoed and then analyzed collectively (n=180 students). We compared this setting with a video-based analysis of classroom dialogue (n=100 students). The research questions focus on students' learning perceptions and self-efficacy perceptions around dialogic teaching, which we addressed using pre-post surveys. Our main results show that preservice teachers in the simulation condition had significantly more positive perceptions of the learning setting, including reported knowledge gains and intention to apply. Meanwhile, both groups had equally high levels of self-efficacy regarding classroom dialogue from pre to post-test with no significant interaction effect in favor of the IG. We discuss the results, which offer support for the proposed intervention, considering previous research on learning to teach in a teaching practicum. The lack of changes in self-efficacy is addressed, considering limitations and aspects for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dialogic approaches based on active student participation, open, respectful discussion, exploring and critiquing different perspectives are increasingly found to support student learning. However, the specific productive forms of teacher-student interaction have rarely been studied systematically. A recent large-scale project explored the relationship between dialogic forms of interaction and learning outcomes for students aged 10–11 in primary school classrooms in England. This follow-up study built on the dataset and outcomes of that study. The objective here was to generate insights into the forms of interaction observable within classes achieving higher and lower learning gains in English and mathematics. Sociocultural discourse analysis combined in-depth qualitative analysis with corpus linguistics methods. The specific forms of dialogue emerging in the earlier study as most productive for learning from turn-by-turn coding and whole-lesson ratings were analysed in more depth. The findings offer rich illustrations of how the productive features are manifested in authentic classroom practice. The outcomes contribute to our understanding of which specific forms of teacher-student dialogue support learning, and how teachers may actively promote these. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2021.1956943. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical article focuses on the dialogic teaching literature in an effort to build an integrative framework. We deem this necessary amidst an expanding field that still lacks a common vocabulary and means for integrating and comparing available approaches. In the framework, three domains that are key in dialogic teaching are outlined: Teaching-learning, Instruments and Assumptions. These general domains comprise eleven more specific components that reflect key elements considered to play a role in underpinning, supporting and enacting dialogic teaching. We take the framework's components to analyse and compare Thinking Together and Accountable Talk, two well-developed approaches with extensive publications. We highlight the underlying aspects and key features of each approach, such as participant arrangement, talk tools and classroom norms. Finally, we speculate prospective uses of our framework in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classroom dialogue is considered productive for learning but rarely observed, and practitioner professional development is needed. This study investigated how 67 teachers across educational phases in six countries contextualised the T-SEDA inquiry toolkit to conduct classroom inquiries and develop new practices. Surveys and inquiry reports yielded insights into how practitioner agency was further developed, with implications for sustainability. Change was evident in self-reported enhanced awareness and understanding of dialogue and use of dialogic strategies. Increases in students' dialogic participation and plans for dissemination to colleagues were reported. • Teachers enact professional agency through inquiry driven by local concerns. • Agency is supported by flexible and adaptable professional development materials. • Systematic observation tools make classroom dialogue more visible and salient. • Critical awareness of dialogic practices supports pedagogical change. • Embedding new forms of classroom dialogue enhances student participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]