OER4Schools/Introduction to whole class dialogue and effective questioning: Difference between revisions

We are now moving on to the topic of this unit, and we start with introducing whole class dialogue. We initially focus on

{{activity|magic microphone| on the last workshop.|10}} Use a prop, for example a stick or a long pencil as a magic microphone or a ball. Whoever gets the prop answers an open-ended question such as, ‘One thing from the last workshop that I could use effectively in my classroom was...’ or ‘What I did not find useful from the last workshop was...’.  

If there is time, ask the participants to answer two questions. It will also give the facilitator some feedback about the previous workshop as well as introduce a method that can be used in classroom with pupils.  

Facilitator models creating a supportive environment through

* encouraging body language, by smiling and looking at the person who is talking and showing that you are attentively listening (maybe nodding);

* encouraging emotional support, by being non-judgemental (accept all answers) and allowing whoever is ready to talk instead of talking it in turns (but everybody has to talk); and

* showing enthusiasm, if you agree with something that the participant says, by saying something like ‘I also thought of that’ or ‘I did not think about it, it’s something new and I agree’.

{{activity|magic microphone| in the classroom:  roleplay|10}} Repeat the above activity, but this time role-playing how you would carry out the activity in the classroom with pupils. Think of your own questions to use in the classroom. Make a note of these questions, so that you can try out the activity in the classroom. As you are planning, consider these questions:

{{activity|cumulative talk|: Creating a story together|10}} All the participants get up to rearrange the seating. Arrange the group in a {{activitytag|horseshoe seating arrangement}} if there is room. If not choose another arrangement allowing participants to see each other. Facilitator starts a story by saying one sentence. All participants then contribute to the story by adding sentences.  

* be contextually appropriate: for example, use common names of characters and a setting familiar to participants.

* have a theme relevant for participants such as education (girl-child receiving schooling later supports family), importance of forests and wild-life (saving a snake later becomes useful for invention of new medicine), treatment of diseases (steps taken by a family to treat an ill person) etc.,  

For instance, you could create a story about welcoming a new child to the school, perhaps a child with an impairment or some kind. The facilitator starts by saying: "The other day, I heard my neighbours talking about whether their child should be starting school, because their child has difficulty walking, and they were not sure whether children like that should go to school." {{indinc|A1.1|Everyone is welcomed.}}

Facilitator can introduce the notion of Talk Rules during this activity if needed. Some examples are: “everybody listens when one person talks” because they have to add to that sentence, “respect others’ ideas” by adding to rather than changing their idea, “make sure everyone in the group understands”, “try to reach consensus in the end” – participants don’t need to actually come to agreement but the process of trying gets people to listen to each other. You may want to ask participants to generate their own examples of Talk Rules.

The activity we just did is example of “cumulative talk” where participants build on what the previous person has said (“cumulative talk” is one way of moving towards whole class dialogue).