Examining talk moves of science teacher’s through communicative approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Teachers are expected to take actions that support students’ ideas and create a network of ideas between different ideas when classroom discourse is based on an interactive dialogic communicative approach. Despite this emphasis, it is unknown how well existing discourse approaches and moves used in science education research correspond with the discourse cultures that teachers currently engage in. Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the teacher’s talk moves during the whole class discussion, how the teacher decides the moves, and the communicative approach used in tandem with the talk moves. Sample A fifth-grade science teacher working in a primary school in Turkey and her students were the participants of the study. Design and methods A case study was used to understand how the teacher’s talk moves laid the groundwork for the communicative approach, how she transitioned from one approach to another, and the reasons for this transition. Results The dialogue begins with the teacher’s move of laying the foundation. The teacher allows students to express their ideas on this basis and synthesizes the different ideas of the students. It can be inferred that the teacher considers the limitations of the Science program when determining the content to be taught and therefore adopts an authoritative approach. Although an environment in which students can express their ideas freely was established in an effort to create a pool of ideas, student interaction was observed at a minimum. The only exception to this observed pattern is when students initiate the discussion of the ideas. This move showed that a student-initiated dialogue was ‘drifted’ towards predetermined content by the teacher’s move. Conclusion In-service training ensures that teachers are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to create dialogic learning environments that will support students in expressing their ideas, interacting with each other, and learning together.