Muntlig kommunikation under en lektion om energikällor i årskurs 5 <br>Oral Communication during a Lesson on Energy Sources in Grade 5

Abstract

There are alarming signals of a decreasing interest in science among students and, according to research, one reason for this development is, the exclusion of the students’ experiences and thoughts in the teaching process. This article presents a study of oral communication patterns during a lesson on energy sources in year five in a Swedish primary school. The teaching sequence is analysed with both quantitative and qualitative methods to make evident the use of time, question – answer patterns, roles, and genres. The teacher creates a dialogue, using both everyday and academic language to explain complicated concepts, and allowing plenty of time for the students’ contributions. The students are also given opportunities to internalise the scientific language by means of demanding roles and genres. By including writing elements this wholly oral lesson would have provided even greater learning opportunities.