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Making talk more effective: how can we get students to say more? PDF Print E-mail
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Students’ understandings of core science concepts such as plant nutrition and the particle model of matter are often influenced by ‘everyday’ ideas about science that can act as barriers to a more complete scientific understanding. Opening up discussion about their ideas can provide a useful starting point for building new knowledge together. One way of doing this is to use probing questions that require students to explore a range of explanations for predictions they make in relation to scientific phenomena. Image
 
Your evidence
You may find it useful to reflect on how you deal with students’ difficulties with key concepts in science lessons. Perhaps you could choose a lesson on one of the areas identified as posing problems for students such as electric current, forces and motion, the particle model of matter or plant nutrition. You could ask a colleague to observe your lesson and feed back to you or you could make notes afterwards.

Choose three five minute periods during a teaching session, (beginning/middle/end) in which you ask students probing questions. Record how you handled students’ responses to your questions during each period. A suitable procedure might be to use a question sheet with multiple choice questions for whole class discussion. Or you could have the students work in groups. How far did your responses go in relation to extending the discussion and maintaining focus?
 
Moving forward
Could you aim to maintain and extend focus by asking questions that explore students’ own concepts  and extend discussion? Would you find it helpful to focus on questions that:
 
  • explore information and ideas with no set 'answer' (eg: “What do you think would happen if..?)
  • encourage synthesis of information and ideas by focusing different perspectives (eg: “What do you think Y means when s/he said….”)
  • encourage evaluations, decision making, and judgements
    (eg: "Would it be fair to say that..?")
  • encourage the transfer of ideas and application of knowledge, (eg: "If we did this what do you think would happen...?")

Further infoFind out more
To find out more about the use of dialogue in teaching and learning you may find the following useful:

Reports of the Towards Evidence-Based Practice in Science Education (2000-2003) project. They are accessible at: http://www.tlrp.org/proj/phase1/phase1bsept.html

The Research informed Practice website digest: The effects of cooperative learning on junior high school students during small group learning Gillies, R.M., University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.  It is accessible at:
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/research/themes/pupil_grouping/ThuAug261107362004/
 
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