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

This digest found in

English
Speaking and Listening

What are the implications of the study?

In completing this digest, the authors began to ask questions about implications of the findings for practitioners.

Teachers may wish to consider the following implications of this study:

the study found that teachers who positioned themselves as fellow learners when they intervened in group discussions were effective at developing group talk. They achieved this by asking authentic questions designed to find out the thoughts of everyone in the group and modelling their own experience as learners. Would you find it helpful to work with a colleague to devise and practise asking authentic questions and modelling learning that will trigger such higher-order thinking amongst your pupils?
the teachers in the study felt one of the main challenges with promoting effective group talk was refraining from dominating the group discussion. Would making and transcribing audiotapes of group discussions that take place in your classes help you to analyse and reflect on the extent to which you stand back and relinquish control?

School leaders may find the following implications helpful in acting on the messages in this study:

the study showed the importance of developing teachers’ skills in managing group work through coaching in how to promote exploratory talk. How might you set up a professional development programme for managing group work for your colleagues?
do you have a good picture of the kinds of talk that take place in classes in your school? Would involving some of your colleagues in action research help to build a detailed picture of the value of group talk for learning and highlight possible next steps?

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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 What are the implications of the study? In completing this digest, the authors began to ask questions about implications of the findings for practitioners. Teachers may wish to consider the following implications of this study: the study found that teachers who positioned themselves as fellow learners when they intervened in group discussions were effective at developing group talk. They achieved this by asking authentic questions designed to find out the thoughts of everyone in the group and modelling their own experience as learners. Would you find it helpful to work with a colleague to devise and practise asking authentic questions and modelling learning that will trigger such higher-order thinking amongst your pupils? the teachers in the study felt one of the main challenges with promoting effective group talk was refraining from dominating the group discussion. Would making and transcribing audiotapes of group discussions that take place in your classes help you to analyse and reflect on the extent to which you stand back and relinquish control? School leaders may find the following implications helpful in acting on the messages in this study: the study showed the importance of developing teachers’ skills in managing group work through coaching in how to promote exploratory talk. How might you set up a professional development programme for managing group work for your colleagues? do you have a good picture of the kinds of talk that take place in classes in your school? Would involving some of your colleagues in action research help to build a detailed picture of the value of group talk for learning and highlight possible next steps?