Teacher Talk Research Articles

Conceptualising teacher dialogic artistry: a nexus of pedagogical dispositions and language qualities

Teacher pedagogical artistry is fundamental to good teaching. This paper attempts to conceptualise one perspective of pedagogical artistry, that of teacher dialogic artistry. This conceptualisation is built on two dimensions of teachers’ conduct aesthetically embodied in dialogic pedagogy: the pedagogical dispositions and language qualities. In this light, we suggest three dispositions that teachers need to develop a dialogic ecology in their class. These are togetherness, provisionality, and exploratory disposition. It is also essential that each of these dispositions be accompanied by a teacher’s code of verbal communication thoroughly harmonised with them. In the context of such dialogic ecology, students are offered the potential to shape their dialogic ethos.

Implementation of Dialogic Teaching Through Concept Cartoon Worksheets to Improve High School Students' Science Process Skills

Science learning should focus on cognitive processes that lead to the development of scientific processes, scientific products, and scientific attitudes. However, field facts show that students' science process skills are still low. One possible solution that can train and improve students’ science process skills is dialogic teaching facilitated by concept cartoon worksheets. This study aims to identify the implementation of dialogic teaching through concept cartoon worksheets to improve students' science process skills. This research method is quasi-experimental with 2 sample classes, namely the experimental class and the control class which were taken by purposive sampling. The research instrument is science process skills test, concept cartoon worksheets, learning implementation observation sheet, and student response questionnaires. Data analysis used independent t-test and n-gain. The results showed that students’ science process skills in control class and experimental class were significantly different. The n-gain test results also showed a higher increase in the experimental class than the control class with an average n-gain result of 0.65 (moderate) in the experimental class and 0,31 (moderate) in the control class. Based on these results it can be concluded that the application of dialogic teaching through the concept cartoon student worksheet can improve students' science process skills.

Exploring teachers’ perceptions towards dialogic teaching in primary science classrooms in Saudi Arabia

This purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of the dialogic teaching approach in primary science classrooms in Saudi Arabia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 primary school science teachers to collect the qualitative data. The interviews were video recorded, and the collected data were analyzed using NVivo software. The majority of primary science teachers demonstrated positive attitudes towards the use of dialogic teaching in science lessons, citing a number of associated advantages of dialogic teaching such as supporting students' learning, attracting students' attention, creating a positive learning environment, developing students' characteristics and developing a culture of dialogue in the classroom. However, despite employing a number of dialogue activities including teacher-student dialogue, student-student dialogue, question and answer, group discussion, and teacher-led class discussion, the results indicated that the teachers tended to control the use of dialogue, due to the challenges they encounter in their teaching practice. This paper discusses the implications of six main challenges identified as hindering dialogic teaching, related to: teachers; students; schools; class sizes; the science curriculum; and lack of time. Accordingly, a number of suggestions were concluded that could address the challenges and improve the quality of the implementation of the dialogic teaching approach in Saudi schools.

Fostering University Students’ Motivation through Dialogic Classroom Practices: A Conceptual Model

This conceptual paper presents a model for engaging students and promoting motivation through dialogic classroom practices. The author argues that fostering dialogic teaching and learning in the classroom can positively impact student motivation and learning outcomes. The proposed model highlights the importance of creating a classroom environment where students feel comfortable sharing their ideas and engaging in meaningful discussions. This conceptual article is lensed within transformative paradigm, presenting dialogic pedagogy as a concept analysed using conceptual analysis. Dialogic pedagogy was presented, and the key assumptions, such as promoting classroom dialogue, valuing all voices, emphasising social knowledge construction, and instructors acting as facilitators of learning, were discussed vis-à-vis its correctional tendencies with student motivation and learning outcomes. The paper also highlights the potential benefits of dialogic classroom practices for diverse and borderless student populations. The conclusion is that promoting classroom dialogue, valuing all voices, emphasising social knowledge construction, and acting as facilitators of learning are dimensions to enhance student motivation towards learning outcomes. The paper offers a valuable contribution to the literature by providing a comprehensive framework for educators to effectively engage and motivate their students through dialogic practices.

Teacher Vocabulary Use and Student Language and Literacy Achievement.

We sought to examine second grade teachers' word use throughout the school day to identify the amount and type of teacher vocabulary use across content areas as well as to examine relationships between this teacher talk and student language and literacy achievement. Second grade teachers (n = 64) and a random sample of half of their students (n = 619) participated. Teachers recorded instruction during the school day throughout the year, and students were assessed on vocabulary, grammar, and reading measures in the fall and spring. Findings reveal second grade students hear thousands of words spoken by the teacher each hour of the school day, including more than a thousand different words per hour on average. The large majority of words were the most common words in the English language. On average, there were few academic or curriculum vocabulary words used, but this varied widely between teachers. The proportion of academic words used by teachers during the school day significantly predicted students' end-of-year vocabulary. Teachers who used more academic words had students with higher vocabulary achievement at the end of the school year. There were no other significant relationships between teachers' language and student achievement. This correlational evidence adds to the existing knowledge of the importance of academic language to student school outcomes and provides implications for further research in the area of academic language at the early elementary level.

Exploring dialogic education used to teach historical thinking within the cultural context of East Asia: A multiple-case study in Taiwanese classrooms

Empirical evidence suggests that dialogic education is an effective way to develop students' higher order thinking and reasoning skills. In history education, curriculum goals share these aims, especially in Taiwan's latest national curriculum reform. It is then important to explore whether and how dialogue is being used to this end in history classes and the form that dialogic education takes in this East Asian cultural context. This study explored the features of Taiwanese teachers' talk and how it was used to teach historical thinking. Video recordings were made of a total of 6 lessons by three high school teachers. Descriptive statistics of word frequency of teachers' discourse using Nvivo (v.12) in complement with fine-grained qualitative analysis of whole class dialogue from a sociocultural perspective shed light on the various discursive strategies that the teachers used to facilitate students' historical reasoning. Findings suggest that some prominent features in Taiwanese teachers' talk include the hybrid use of monologue and dialogue and the hybrid of short-term and long-term dialogue for teaching historical thinking and reasoning. This study contributes significantly to the theoretical discussion of dialogic education for history classes in the East Asian cultural context. Moreover, it has practical implications for how teachers could use this hybrid form of talk to introduce the elements of historical thinking to students. Limitations of the study are also discussed at the end of the article.

The situated nature of dialogic interactions: Children's talk across different tasks

This paper analysed the situated nature of dialogic interactions by comparing primary-school children's communicative patterns when solving two divergent literacy tasks versus a convergent logical-reasoning task. Peer interactions were analysed using a compact version of the CAM-UNAM Scheme for Educational Dialogue Analysis (SEDA), which qualifies dialogic interactions. Compact-SEDA allowed systematic, fine-grained analyses of children's conversations when addressing each task. We related children's communicative patterns to dialogic interaction styles previously identified as productive for learning, namely ‘co-constructive’ and ‘exploratory’. Results showed that children subtly adapted their discussions to the knowledge domain and nature of the task. For the divergent tasks, children created meaning jointly by elaborating, chaining, and gradually transforming their own and each other's ideas, negotiating perspectives and seeking agreements. This pattern reflects a ‘co-constructive’ interaction style. In contrast, for the convergent task, children reasoned together, positioned themselves in the dialogue by agreeing or disagreeing with each other's ideas, and supported their positions by making their reasoning explicit through arguments and counter-arguments. This pattern reflects an ‘exploratory’ interaction style. Results confirm and expand findings from previous studies on peer communication patterns associated with the nature of the task, using more comprehensive, refined and objective analytical tools than previously employed.

Teachers’ Professional Development and Pedagogical Shift towards Dialogic Teaching in Malaysian Lower Secondary ESL Classrooms

This study reports on teachers’ pedagogical changes upon attending a professional development programme. In supporting learners of a second language (L2), dialogic teaching was emphasised as an intervention programme in Malaysian lower secondary ESL classrooms. Dialogic teaching is a pedagogical approach that focuses on the importance of classroom talk in constructing knowledge collectively (Alexander, 2018). This study explored the perceptions of four rural L2 teachers who were participants in a professional development on dialogic teaching and investigated their classroom practices using the approach. The study was qualitative in nature which comprised four individual semi-structured interviews and nine classroom observations for the data collection. The case study method was employed to boost the reliability of the interview findings in which three of the teachers’ classes were observed, video-taped, transcribed, and analysed to identify the dialogic features prevalent in the teachers’ discourse pattern. The findings of this study indicated that the teachers perceived dialogic teaching as a meaningful interactive discourse structure that facilitated L2 learning and, to an extent, demonstrated a pedagogical shift that took advantage of the dialogic teaching principles and talk repertoire introduced during the professional development. Dialogic teaching strategies such as whole class and small group discussions increased the participation and engagement of students which led to better student outcomes. The teachers had acquired the skills of questioning to facilitate talk amongst the students. Nevertheless, the teachers were challenged with issues of students’ proficiency that obstructed their effective intervention process. The findings have key pedagogical implications in terms of teacher discourse patterns and for further investigation on the enactment of dialogic teaching in facilitating second language.

Feminist Pedagogies on the Front Lines: Struggling Against a Mine, Struggling Against Patriarchy

In 2018, residents of the Vayots Dzor region in southern Armenia began occupying the entrance to a gold mine owned by Lydian International, at Amulsar mountain, to halt operation. At the forefront of this struggle were not only local men, but also many women who identified themselves as feminists from the capital city of Yerevan. Although feminism is marginalized as a political praxis and discourse in the country—including within leftist and progressive circles—feminists are on the front lines of various larger political struggles. Through ethnographic research within feminist and environmental struggles in Armenia—in which I was situated as a researcher, friend, and comrade—I found that feminists instructed those within and outside of larger political struggles on the importance of gendered understandings of social, political, and economic relations toward their transformation. This pedagogical work was necessary for their ability to do political work as women within these larger movements. I draw on Paulo Freire’s work on pedagogy to discuss feminist forms of pedagogy as praxis. I call these dialogical pedagogy, political pedagogy of the self, and reproductive pedagogy, and argue that each offers possibilities of feminist praxis within and beyond environmental struggles in a context of feminism’s marginalization.

Dialogic data innovations for sustainability transformations and flood resilience: The case for waterproofing data

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and have increasing impacts, which disproportionately affect marginalised and impoverished communities. This article proposes and assesses a new methodological approach for developing innovative solutions based on urban data analytics to address sustainability challenges in light of changing climate conditions. The approach draws inspiration from Paulo Freire's dialogic pedagogy and has been implemented in the international transdisciplinary project “Waterproofing Data”, with multiple study sites in Brazil. The project has introduced three methodological interventions: making data practices visible, engaging citizens and communities with data, and sharing data stories. Our study demonstrates that these methods have expanded the types of data used in flood risk management and have engaged a wider range of social groups in the generation, circulation, and utilization of data. We present a framework that provides guidance about the ways in which data innovations can contribute to transformative change, aiming to ensure that future development trajectories are just, inclusive, and equitable. The findings provide evidence that our approach not only helps fill existing data gaps and promote more equitable flood risk governance but also democratises decision-making in climate adaptation. Citizens were empowered to take proactive measures to improve resilience to disaster risks, thereby saving lives and safeguarding livelihoods.

Urgency and Strategy for Multicultural Education Transformation in Conflict Resolution: A Narrative Literature Review

This study examines the evolution of multicultural education in the context of conflict resolution. This study is guided by two central concerns: 1) the urgency of transforming multicultural education in conflict resolution, and 2) the strategy for transforming multicultural education in conflict resolution. This article is the result of a qualitative investigation employing a narrative literature study design. Google Scholar, an academic database, was used to compile all the literature. The authors used several document search keywords, namely “urgency, multicultural, education, resolution, conflict” and “strategy, multicultural, education, resolution, conflict”. This study clarified, first, that there are several imperatives for transforming multicultural education in conflict resolution: 1) understanding mutual respect; 2) increasing multicultural awareness; 3) developing dialogue skills; 4) encouraging social inclusion; 5) improving historical and contextual understanding; 6) developing conflict resolution skills; and 7) developing a pluralistic identity; Second, there are several strategies for transforming multicultural education in conflict resolution, such as 1) integration of multicultural principles into the educational curriculum; 2) training in conflict resolution skills; 3) dialogue education; 4) establishment of an inclusive learning environment; and 5) collaboration between communities. This research contributes conceptually to mapping educational institutions’ urgency and strategy to transform multicultural education into conflict resolution. This study contributes conceptually to the mapping of educational institutions' urgency and strategy to transition multicultural education into conflict resolution

Enacting music curriculum contextualization in the Philippine K to 12 curriculum: Negotiations, constraints, and mediating forces

This study problematized the K to 12 music curriculum contextualization policy, and the negotiations, constraints, and mediating forces experienced by selected music teachers in formal music education, given the interactions with informal and non-formal music education. This ethnography analyzed the experiences of 12 music teachers in a town with a long-standing community band tradition. Data were gathered through interviews, focused group discussions (FGDs), surveys, and classroom observations conducted over a seven-month period. Framed from the concept of “policy as practice” of music curriculum contextualization, the findings revealed the music teachers’ negotiations: music listening selections, immersion, and integrative teaching strategies; mediating forces: teachers’ policy understanding and music content knowledge; and constraints: standardized examinations and inadequate school music resources. The study concluded that music contextualization policy should consider practice-informed teacher negotiations on the ground, teachers’ mediating forces, and teacher-identified constraints. Recommendations included community dialogue, adaptations of community band practices in class, and a paradigm shift toward student-led learning and assessment.

Adult online learning – A dialogic perspective

Dialogic education pedagogies trace their roots back to a framework developed by Soviet-Russian philosopher and literary theoretician Bakhtin (Matusov & Lemke, 2015). In Bakhtin’s thought, the place from which we speak plays an essential role in determining what we say. Moreover, Bakhtin says that “…In order to understand, it is immensely important for the person who understands to be located outside the object of his or her creative understanding-in time, in space, in culture” (p.xiii). This chapter aims to unpack and map some of the many meanings of dialogic education and their relationship with technology-mediated learning. While the research study is mainly focused on what roles chatbots can assume in online adult education and precisely what needs must they meet for online learners, the chapter starts by delving into the theory of dialogic learning.

Classroom Discourse Analysis of Computer-Mediated Communication during COVID-19

In March 2020, the Saudi government announced that school and university courses were to be held online to control the COVID-19 outbreak. A sudden yet smooth movement occurred from traditional face-to-face classrooms to online courses. This shift influenced the nature of classes, the nature of the interaction, and the participants’ roles. Interaction in online classes is viewed as a form of computer-mediated communication. This paper explores the nature of computer-mediated communication in online courses at one of the major research universities in Riyadh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using an in-depth qualitative analysis of Walsh’s (2006) framework of Self-Evaluation of Teacher talk, this study examines the nature of classroom discourse and interactions among level six students who took a content course in English and lectures were transcribed for this study. Results answer questions regarding the common interaction modes and features and how efficient they are to encourage participation during Computerized Mediated Communication. Analysis reveals that using traditional interactional features is not suitable in virtual classes.Teacher dominated classes with excessive IRFs patterns do not cultivate interaction in Computerized Mediated Communication. New modes of communication and discursive features using more interactive tools and engaging features such as referential questions promote interaction. Results provide an insight into the nature of interaction in online university classrooms. It also adds to the current literature on Computerized Mediated Communication interaction to enhance the existing practices done in classrooms.

Humanistic dialogue in Education according to Paulo Freire

This paper describes Paulo Freire's thoughts on humanistic education. The background of this study is the dehumanization situation in our society today, which is caused by unfair practices. The method used is a literature review, by collecting book sources and journal articles that talk about Freire's views on humanistic education. Historically Freire's humanistic education emerged from his struggle with the practice of injustice towards the poor. They are oppressed because of the poverty they experience. This practice resulted in dehumanization. Dehumanization can only be changed through a dialogical educational process. According to Freire, humans are naturally beings who are aware of their existence in and within the world. Because of this, humans in their practical experience are always in dialogue with the world. The oppressed are invited to recognize and be aware of the reality of the oppression they experience in this educational process, then struggle to overcome this oppressed situation. The aim of dialogic education is to regain human values that have been taken away due to acts of oppression. With that dehumanization is changed to humanization. According to Freire, the ontological need for every human being is to become a complete human being in his existence. It is the duty of education to help every human being to become a complete human being in the reality of his life. It must be admitted that our nation's society is currently experiencing a crisis in many aspects. These crises are actually rooted in the humanitarian crisis. There are many practices of injustice that sacrifice the rights of many people. Paulo Freire's humanistic educational approach can be used as a basis for facing and resolving this crisis

Dialogic teaching of controversial issues: discursive moves to enact two-sided discussions

Dialogic teaching – in which teachers and students address controversial issues – has become increasingly common in school education to promote civic participation in deliberative democracy. This study addresses this question: when leading whole-class discussions on controversial issues, what discursive moves could teachers adopt to enact two-sided discussions that address conflicting perspectives? The present study analyzed data from an intervention study promoting dialogic teaching of controversial issues in the Morality and Law subject in fourth-grade (9- to 10-year-olds) elementary classrooms in China. We identified and analyzed episodes from transcripts of video-recorded classroom interactions in which the teachers employed a variety of discursive moves to encourage students to consider, negotiate, and debate opposing positions. Our analyses revealed that the teachers did not directly instruct students to consider opposing perspectives but guided their exchange of multiple perspectives. The teachers also partnered with students in the knowledge construction process by directly questioning, countering, or critiquing students’ arguments. Implications for encouraging teachers’ spontaneity and improvisation during dialogic teaching, as well as for using challenging, controversial topics to promote two-sided whole-class discussions, are addressed.

Investigating teacher talk in EAP and EGP classes: In pursuit of communicative features

PurposeThis study aims to explore the communicative features of teacher talk in English for General Purposes (EGP) vs. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes in Iranian contexts based on the Self-Evaluation Teacher Talk (SETT) framework.Design/methodology/approachFor the purposes of this study, EAP and EGP classes run by three language instructors and three content instructors were observed and interviews with teacher participants were conducted. The data were analyzed by content analysis, and emerging overarching themes were recorded.FindingsThe findings of this study indicate that the translation of texts into Persian was the dominant theme in classes run by content instructors who were less aware of the communicative features of teacher talk. However, one of the content instructors who was familiar with the communicative features of teacher talk as well as general language instructors were found to be highly aware of the potential of their teacher talk to encourage communication in his classes. The innovative and communicative features in the language/content instructor suggest the importance of teacher agency in bringing change in education at the micro-level. This study has implications for various agencies involved in teaching EAP, EGAP and English for Specific Purposes (ESAP), raising awareness regarding the communicative features of teacher talk as a driving force leading learners and teachers to more communicative opportunities in language classrooms. The findings suggest that teacher talk is an essential component of classroom discourse, shaping students' linguistic and academic development, and that teacher agency is crucial in promoting communicative opportunities in language education. To boost communication, the authors recommend translanguaging with a focus on both communication and optimal use of the mother tongue in EAP classes.Originality/valueThere is little empirical evidence on the communicative aspects of teacher talk in higher education. This study can inspire more parallel research on EAP settings in higher education with a focus on communication and teacher talk features.

Diversity and Equity in Accounting Education during COVID-19: Insights from Colombia

ABSTRACT This paper aims to open a window into diversity and inequity issues unveiled by COVID-19 in accounting education in a context of social and political unrest. Following interviews and autoethnographic written reports, a survey of Colombian accounting professors was examined and complemented by a student survey. The study drew on the concepts of conscientização and dialogic pedagogy, proposed by Brazilian social scientist Paulo Freire. The findings showed that the pandemic enabled students and faculty to move from a magical to a critical stage of conscientização (critical consciousness). The pandemic led them to reflect on their context, question the role of accounting, and advance their liberation from oppressive positions. We ended our research with the claim a student posted on their profile: “How hard it is to study while they are killing my people!” Future studies may extend the scope of research to other periods and geographic contexts.

An Analysis the Character Education in Student’s Textbook Entitled English Skills for the Future for 10th Grade Publishing by Grafindo Media Pratama

Character education is everything that is the teacher, who is capable of influencing the character of the learner. The teacher helps shape the disposition of learners. It's exemplary how a teacher behaves, how a teacher talks or conveys material, how teachers tolerate, and various other related things. The aim of this research is to found the character education in the English Textbook of 2013 curriculum entitled “English for the Future for Grade X of Senior High School Students published by Grafindo Media Pratama”. This researcher use the methodology Qualitative content analysis in this research. Qualitative content analysis goes beyond counting words or extracting objective content from texts to examine meanings, themes and patterns that may be manifest or latent in a particular text. The result showed that character education found in the English textbook of 2013 curriculum entitled English for the Future for tenth grade of Senior High school Students Published by Grafindo Media Pratama. The researcher found there is 18 character education in this book, those, religious approximately 7.3% found the this book, honest around 3.3%, tolerance about 0.6%, discipline approximately 12.1% , hardwork 12.67%, creative 13,3%, independent 0.6%, democratic 4.67%, curiosity 12%, nationalism 4%, patriotism 2.67%, rewarding achievement 2.67%, friendly/communicate 6%, love of peace 0.67%, love to read 6.67%, caring the environment 2%, social care 6.67%, and responsibility 9.33%. The second question is about how the character education were delivery in this book. The researcher found there is 82.14% character education were deliver implicitly in this book, while the character education the deliver explicitly is about 17.86%.

Teachers’ experience of the breakdown of infrastructures during the pandemic

This article reports on teachers’ experience of working during the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis is based on a thematic analysis of group interviews with 76 teachers working throughout the Swedish school system, i.e., preschools, primary, secondary school, and municipal adult education. The interviews were conducted during autumn 2021. Conceptualizing teaching and working during the pandemic as a breakdown of infrastructures, the article focuses on how teachers talk about changes in institutional, social, technological, and pedagogical aspects of teaching and learning. The results show that changes in institutional aspects mainly concern teachers’ communication with colleagues, custodians, and school leadership. Social and pedagogical aspects are emphasized, while technological aspects are not as prominent in the teachers’ accounts. Commonly taken-for-granted aspects are brought to the fore, and their importance for teaching and learning has implications for the new normal and for what is of importance when creating future infrastructures for teaching and learning.