individuals. If their individual commitment had been directed into a group effort, and their talk disciplined towards negotiation, they might have succeeded better.
Activity
Record a group of children working together at the computer. Listen to the tape. Can you pick out examples of the three types of talk mentioned in this chapter? How much exploratory talk happens? Which of the children is most adept at facilitating this sort of talk? How can the incidence of exploratory talk be increased?
Most children do their best to collaborate with their partner most of the time, but they may not know how to negotiate with another child whose agenda for the shared activity is very different from their own. The social positions held by boys and girls are naturally extremely important to them, and their interactions inevitably contain an element of awareness of this. Effective talk can help individual children to truly collaborate, that is to express their own ideas lucidly and at the same time find out what their workmates are really thinking about the task in hand. The advantage of teaching about talk, that is teaching children how to question one another, negotiate ideas, share information, and attempt to reach a reasoned agreement, is that the ground rules underlying the ensuing discussion help to avoid the effects of gender conditioning, friendship groups, and other social brick walls that prevent children learning. It’s important to be aware of the different ways that children may approach group work at the computer, and the problems that may arise because of the behaviour they bring to the task. Encouraging children to become aware of their own perceptions of one another may help as a strategy for discouraging prejudice which possibly has its origins in simple thoughtlessness.
Transcript 6: Switch it on and talk together Alana: Switch it on and talk together
Computer: Which do you think will keep out the light most? What do you think? Say your reasons why before you click on a button
Reece: What do you think then? Writing paper – Malik: Black, black (pointing to screen)
Reece: – wallpaper, black paper
Alana: I think black paper because it’s dark – Malik: Yeah –
Alana: – and light can’t go through it because it’s dark and it’s solid Reece: What about wallpaper?
Malik: No
Alana: (to Reece) What do you think?
Malik: I think black paper Reece: I’ll go with black paper Malik: Yeah, I agree
Alana: Why do you think that?
Reece: Because it’s black –
Malik: Because it’s black and it’s dark
Reece: That’s what I was just going to say – um –
Malik: And it’s really – and you can’t see through, light – Alana: So – do we agree?
(A few minutes later)
Computer: Talk together and make a prediction about how many sheets of this paper you think it would take to block out the light completely? How many did you agree on?
Alana: I think one because black paper – same as I said before – dark and solid Reece: How much? How much paper?
Alana: I think one
Reece: No, two, two. I think about five
Alana: What? To block out the light completely?
Reece: But that’s bright – it goes up to ‘Bright’
Malik: Ten – ten (holds up his fingers) Reece: Ten – or a five
Malik: Ten
Alana: I think one, because it’s dark – Reece: It’s not that dark
Alana: Dark, it’s solid and I don’t think anything would get past it Malik: No – ten would be much better
Reece: Sh – stop arguing OK, or we can’t continue
Alana: I just want to say this. It’s not about – how solid – what’s much better – it’s about using your –
Reece and Alana: Brains!
Alana: To think. So what do you think – Malik: Um I say –
Alana: Least number?
Malik: One!
Alana: Do you agree?
Reece: I agree
Comment
This is a brief extract from a much longer session in which the children in this group discuss their ideas about the transparency of materials, and decide how to test their predictions. The children are engaged with the task and collaborate well with one another. It’s possible to iden- tify features of exploratory talk; the children ask for and consider one another’s opinions and reasons. Everyone is expected to contribute. Suggestions are treated with respect and the chil- dren check that there is group agreement. No talk is wasted on, for example, who will use the mouse or read from the screen; these issues have been dealt with in advance. The children concentrate on using spoken language to understand one another. We can see that where there are differences of opinion, everyone is aware that thinking together can help the group to negotiate a solution. This transcript provides a good example of the sort of emergent exploratory talk that happens when children are learning how to talk this way. The ground rules are used a little like a script; eventually this way of talking will be better assimilated and the children will be more fluent in their ability to conduct a rational discussion. They will have added exploratory talk to their repertoire of speaking and listening skills. The talk in this session helped all members of this mixed ability group to put to use their understanding of fair testing and of the varying transparency of materials. In doing so, the group completed the testing successfully and left the computer satisfied with their work – and with one another.
The software, specially designed with talk prompts, supports the group by reminding them of the aims for high quality talk. On-screen prompts are the ideal, but talk prompts can actually be provided almost as effectively with post-it notes stuck around the screen!
Conclusion
If using discussion skills is one of the aims of grouping children to work together at a computer, then, first, the children must be made aware of this. Secondly, they must be explic- itly provided with the skills they will need to generate high quality, educationally effective exploratory talk. Providing Talk Lessons is one way to introduce such skills, with the class creating and agreeing to a set of ground rules for talk which will provide a basis for all their discussions. As a teacher you have the crucial role of raising children’s awareness of how to use the powerful tools of spoken language to good effect.
Many factors will influence children’s learning at the computer, but their talk will be reli- ably productive if the children have been taught how to discuss things together, and if they
are aware that appropriate talk is one of their aims. Children can be helped to understand that the way they talk to one another is one of the most important parts of their work at the computer. They can be taught that spoken language is a tool for interthinking, and that such talk benefits both their group work and their own personal development.
Social influences, such as gender and friendship ties, may adversely affect talk at the computer, but by encouraging exploratory talk you can help children to work in groups less affected by such forces. Children’s strong motivation to work with computers means that ICT- based activities offer an unrivalled opportunity to practise a way of talking and thinking that will serve them well in all curriculum areas and life beyond school.
Further reading
Dawes, L. and Sams, C. (2004) Talk Box: Speaking and Listening Activities for Learning at Key Stage 1. London: David Fulton Publishers.
Dawes, L., Mercer, N. and Wegerif, R. (2000) Thinking Together: A programme of activities for developing thinking skills at KS2. Birmingham: Questions Publishing.
Wegerif, R. and Dawes, L. (2004) Thinking and Learning with ICT. London: Routledge.
Prologue
The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the power of drama in the classroom to develop children’s speaking and listening from foundation stage to the end of Year 6. When visiting schools and working with a wide range of children and teachers, one of my first questions to a new group of children is what aspect of literacy they like best. Where the teaching is lively, creative and involves the teaching of drama the children will unanimously reply ‘drama!’ In other less inspiring classrooms the children may struggle and say ‘spelling’ or ‘handwriting’
or, sadly on one occasion, ‘colouring in’. Children generally love drama but their teachers may be shyer to dive in and try it. Why? Perhaps they are anxious that they may lose control of the children; perhaps they have never experienced drama themselves and lack confidence;
perhaps they think it means moving all the furniture; perhaps they just don’t know what they are missing.
The best way to explore the range of stimulating possibilities that drama can provide for developing children’s oral skills at any age is not by reading about them in a book but by engaging in some high quality practical professional development held either in your own school or college or run by your LEA or local higher education (HE) establishment. Actually taking part in an extended drama, experiencing the conventions, such as ‘role play’ or
‘conscience alley’, first hand, led by an experienced professional such as Paul Bunyan, Drama Adviser for the Northamptonshire Advisory Service, Simon Rigley, English and Drama Adviser from Buckinghamshire LEA or Teresa Grainger, a Reader in Education at Canterbury Christ Church University College, will give you the confidence to extend your drama practice in school or will give you the incentive to ‘have a go’ for the first time. If that is not possible, then the Speaking, Listening, Learning: working with children in Key Stages 1 and 2materials (QCA/DfES 2003) give advice on professional development in school, alongside drama objec- tives from Year 1 to Year 6 which show clear progression, and provide exemplar teaching sequences supported by video extracts of good classroom practice. Some excellent handbooks to further your knowledge of drama conventions are included in the ‘Further reading’ section at the end of this chapter.