Improving the quality of pupils’ talk and thinking during group work

This digest found in

How did the teachers structure and model effective group talk?

The strategies the teachers used to promote group work involved precise intervention and also not intervening. When teachers held back from intervening in a group’s discussion, they enabled pupils to be more independent and work with their peers to develop their reasoning. Precise interventions gave the teachers the opportunity to model ways of asking the kind of questions that would promote pupils’ thinking and develop each other’s ideas. When some of the teachers intervened, they showed the pupils that they were learners too. For example, they commented, “It is a difficult poem isn’t it?” Making the task authentic in this way helped the pupils to develop their understanding with, rather than for their teacher.

The researchers gave an example of how one teacher effectively played an overt role in a high-ability group’s discussion of the complex poem ‘The Thought-Fox’ (Hughes, 1967). The teacher used a number of strategies in the discussion to encourage a three-way interaction between the text, the reader and the group, rather than with herself. She:

guided their learning by re-reading key lines to frame their analysis;
refrained from evaluating the pupils’ contributions, to reduce her authority within the group and encourage pupils to turn to each other for answers;
waited until all the pupils had stopped talking purposively before intervening; and
allowed the pupils to take over the discussion again as they gained in confidence.

Boy 1: It doesn’t make sense.
Teacher: What about the first verse. What does he mean when he says ‘This blank page’?
Girl 1: I think he’s imagining it and he’s writing it down as he’s imagining it
Girl 2: What, the fox?
Girl 1: No the poet. He’s imagining. I think the poet’s imagining being inside the head of a fox.
Teacher: What about this line (reads) ‘And this blank page where my fingers move’. What’s he talking about there? Is this about writing?
Boy 2: It’s weird, I don’t get it
Teacher: What do you think it’s about?
Girl 1: The poet is imagining this fox, the thought-fox
Boy 2: It doesn’t seem like a fox, a real fox.
Girl 1: Yes, but it does say like ‘the fox’s nose touches twig, leaf’. I think he’s explaining it in a complicated way.
Girl 2: I agree with [G1]. I think he’s imagining a fox outside his house and he’s writing down what he’s imagining.

Another teacher monitored a group’s talk, but did not intervene, except to encourage the pupils to continue questioning each other when they seemed to have ground to a halt. The teacher’s non-intervention, even to clarify potential misconceptions, helped the pupils to extend their own thinking. They did this by re-reading the text and considering different interpretations before selecting the one that felt most logical. In this way, the teacher signalled to the pupils that what mattered was the process of analysis, rather than the outcome.

Your path: Home > Welcome to The Research Informed Practice Site (TRIPS) > Themes > English > Improving the quality of pupils’ talk and thinking during group work > How did the teachers structure and model effective group talk?
Research Home Themes \| Find digests \| About the digests resources glossary researchers contact TRIPS Introduction How did the teachers structure and model effective group talk? How did the pupil’s group talk change? What did the pupils feel they gained from working in structured groups? What challenges did the teachers face when promoting group talk? How was the study designed? What are the implications of the study? Where can I find out more? Send us your feedback Collated digests To find out more about collated digests click here Get Word Reader Improving the quality of pupils’ talk and thinking during group work This digest found in English Speaking and Listening Send to a friend Word doc 60KB Printer friendly Collate for later How did the teachers structure and model effective group talk? The strategies the teachers used to promote group work involved precise intervention and also not intervening. When teachers held back from intervening in a group’s discussion, they enabled pupils to be more independent and work with their peers to develop their reasoning. Precise interventions gave the teachers the opportunity to model ways of asking the kind of questions that would promote pupils’ thinking and develop each other’s ideas. When some of the teachers intervened, they showed the pupils that they were learners too. For example, they commented, “It is a difficult poem isn’t it?” Making the task authentic in this way helped the pupils to develop their understanding with, rather than for their teacher. The researchers gave an example of how one teacher effectively played an overt role in a high-ability group’s discussion of the complex poem ‘The Thought-Fox’ (Hughes, 1967). The teacher used a number of strategies in the discussion to encourage a three-way interaction between the text, the reader and the group, rather than with herself. She: guided their learning by re-reading key lines to frame their analysis; refrained from evaluating the pupils’ contributions, to reduce her authority within the group and encourage pupils to turn to each other for answers; waited until all the pupils had stopped talking purposively before intervening; and allowed the pupils to take over the discussion again as they gained in confidence. Boy 1: It doesn’t make sense. Teacher: What about the first verse. What does he mean when he says ‘This blank page’? Girl 1: I think he’s imagining it and he’s writing it down as he’s imagining it Girl 2: What, the fox? Girl 1: No the poet. He’s imagining. I think the poet’s imagining being inside the head of a fox. Teacher: What about this line (reads) ‘And this blank page where my fingers move’. What’s he talking about there? Is this about writing? Boy 2: It’s weird, I don’t get it Teacher: What do you think it’s about? Girl 1: The poet is imagining this fox, the thought-fox Boy 2: It doesn’t seem like a fox, a real fox. Girl 1: Yes, but it does say like ‘the fox’s nose touches twig, leaf’. I think he’s explaining it in a complicated way. Girl 2: I agree with [G1]. I think he’s imagining a fox outside his house and he’s writing down what he’s imagining. Another teacher monitored a group’s talk, but did not intervene, except to encourage the pupils to continue questioning each other when they seemed to have ground to a halt. The teacher’s non-intervention, even to clarify potential misconceptions, helped the pupils to extend their own thinking. They did this by re-reading the text and considering different interpretations before selecting the one that felt most logical. In this way, the teacher signalled to the pupils that what mattered was the process of analysis, rather than the outcome.