Feedback discussionGroups of 41. Grammar review

– What did you find? – Identify any emerging issues.– Table group feedback using envoys.

2. Classroom approaches– 3 minutes to explain: what; how; what happened; what next.– Group discussion: ‘What I like about this’; ‘What interests me is…’;

‘What I want to ask is…’; ‘What I’m thinking is…’– Have the last word.– Move on.– Select one approach to share with the whole group.

Active Learning Trust

English LeadsSession 2

Bolt on or built in?

Classroom talk in the new primary curriculum

Alan Howe

Bolt on or built in?

1. What does the new Curriculum have to say?

2. Closely observed talk: • Roman Coins• Molluscs3. Planning for talk4. And narrative…using oral storytelling

Progression in talk

Years 1 and 2: • Vocabulary• Retelling stories• Discussing reading• Deal with pupils whose skills are ‘insufficiently developed’ (EYFS)Years 3 and 4:• Increase variety of situations, audiences and purposes• Drama, formal presentations, debateYears 5 and 6:• Public speaking, performance and debate• Discuss reading; ‘challenge courteously’; reasons and justifications

Talk matters…

‘Language development, which begins with talk, is central to all learning, so speaking and listening must be valued as fundamental to expressing ideas, respecting others and empathising with them. Speaking and listening matter for employability and social life, so having the confidence and skill to communicate with others orally is most important and must not be marginalised.’

‘Looking for the Heart of English’: discussion document February 2012

‘Exploratory talk is that in which partners engage critically but constructively with each other’s ideas. Relevant information is offered for joint consideration…Knowledge is made publicly accountable and reasoning is visible in the talk…It is an effective way of using language to think. The process of education should ensure that every child is aware of its value and able to use it effectively.

However, observational research evidence suggests that very little of it naturally occurs in classrooms when children work together in groups.’

Neil Mercer, Words and Minds – How we use language to think together

(Routledge, 2000)

Productive talk behaviours

• Making suggestions or introducing new ideas

• Supporting others’ suggestions by building upon them, clarifying them or modifying them

• Challenging ideas so that others reflect upon their validity

• Reasoning or justifying ideas

• Asking questions to seek clarification and elaboration

• Summarising to move the discussion on

• Analysing and evaluating to make explicit the strengths and

weaknesses of own and others’ ideas

T: Look at this coin. These are all dirty.C: Yes, because they’ve been underneath the sand.T: Yeah, they’ve been under…these…this one has been underneath sand, you can see

all the sand patterns on it, can’t ya?C: This has been underneath sand, yeah, and it’s been right down, yeah…T: I know, I know…C: And there’ve been mud under there, right under sand, yeah? And that’s where it’s

been, it’s been really precious to other people that they’ve lost it.T: I know, it’s like…like…like, when, um…people die because they are very, very old,

they die on the ground and then the tide comes in and washes another load…when they die, right?

C: Yeah, yeah, and all the water comes and it makes these things come out of their hands like one of these might’ve come out of their hand, yeah?

T: Now, guess what? Guess what? They died holding all these coins, right, on the seaside, and then the water came in and flushed another load of sand on top of them. Then people…then the tide came in… (C: That’s…)then the tide came in again and washed all the sand away and people found them. They didn’t find the people but they found the coins, yeah?!

1.12

Roman coins

Work in pairs:1. How is the talk structured and organised?2. Evidence of joint thinking?3. How is this discussion helping learning?4. What has the teacher done to promote

this kind of talk?5. What do we learn about Thomas and

Christina?

Molluscs

1. What features of context are supporting the talking and listening?

2. Can you find any evidence of reading and writing feeding into the talk?

3. What aspects can you find of a distinctive spoken language grammar?

4. What are the implications for planning this kind of talk?

Planning is vital: don’t leave talk to chance

1. Manipulate group size and composition2. Plan tasks that promote different kinds of talk: e.g.discussion; problem-

solving; argument and opinion 3. Give different groups different aspects of a task to carry out to promote

effective feedback sessions4. Explain what you want pupils to do as speakers and listeners5. Use tight time deadlines to promote focus6. Think carefully about the questions you ask: use ‘chain’ questions to

promote extended responses7. Don’t always use questions: explain, recount, speculate, tell an anecdote…8. Plan for short ‘guided’ sessions in order to ‘scaffold’ learning through

dialogue 9. Provide pupils with opportunities to rehearse ideas in pairs before ‘going

public’10. Use the ‘wait time ‘ strategy in whole class discussion 3.6

Storytelling

Powerful talking and listening

The Chief’s Three Sons

King Leopard

Cat and her husbands

Getting to grips with a story…

1. Babble/gabble2. Bone pattern: key moments to visualise3. Visualisation: key moments4. Retell once: ‘I’m not actually telling the

story, but this is what happens…’5. Retell again: think gesture; add local

detail; beginnings and endings

Jethro Banks

Jethro Banks

Quick group discussion:

• 3 great ways of following this up that support the pupils’ spoken language skills.

• Send off your envoy…

GAP Task 2

• http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/

• http://www.hughlupton.com/

Between now and the next session…

The new primary English Curriculum

Self Review of Pedagogy

• Use the Review audit to carry out a ‘quick and dirty’ review of your current situation re: speaking and listening

• With your SLT, discuss actions to take

Promoting productive talk: oral storytelling

• Select a story from today.• Prepare and practice.• Tell, using an interactive

approach that involves pupils.• Bring a short account of what

you did and what happened to the next session.

• Use video to reflect on your performance?

‘It is when the pupil is required to grapple with new experience, or to order old

experience in a new way, that he is most likely to find it necessary to use language

differently.’

Douglas Barnes 1976