Excerpts from "The Discourse of Instructional Conversations,   pp. 158 - 167
A.   RATIONALE:   IMPORTANCE OF AN INTERACTIVE APPROACH TO TEACHING.    Example: Cummins advocates genuine dialogue + student - student collaboration. Teacher is facilitator and development of ALL higher level thinking skills is the goal

         1.   Communication motivates all language use.   [Related to this is the conceptualization that students' learning reflects, in essence, what they bring to school with them.    A logical rationale follows:   Schools and educators should allow for maximum interaction between educational goals, content, techniques and personalities, and the learning sets and experiences which students represent.

B.   MODEL OF INSTRUCTIONAL CONVERSATION (Goldberg & Gallimore, 1991) pp. 160 - 166
        Ten elements:    LIST + COMMENTARY    See Part C, below

         1.   THEMATIC FOCUS

         2.   ACTIVATION / USE OF BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE / RELEVANT SCHEMATA.

         3.   DIRECT TEACHING

         4.   PROMOTION OF MORE COMPLEX LANGUAGE AND EXPRESSION

         5.   ELICITATION OF BASES FOR STATEMENTS OR POSITIONS

         6.   FEWER KNOWN-ANSWER QUESTIONS

         7.   BEING RESPONSIVE TO STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS

         8.   CONNECTED DISCOURSE

         9.   A CHALLENGING BUT NON-THREATENING ATMOSPHERE

        10.   GENERAL PARTICIPATION INCLUDING SELF-SELECTED TURNS

C.     COMMENTARY ON IC MODEL COMPONENTS
         1.   THEME    Needs general plan and sense of how theme includes "chunks" for optimal topic exploration  /
                Relevance to students / Strategy of continual linking of discussion to the theme.

         2.   BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE    "Hook" into indications of students' background knowledge +
               provide as needed.   REMINDER:    Students bring elements of their cultural milieux to school.
               Even rudimentary knowledge of a concept can be taken to higher levels of understanding.
               IC as a bridge to this cultural background and influence.

         3.   DIRECT TEACHING    As needed when students are, generally, unaware of anything to do
               with the topic; i.e., define terms and move on, or in-depth teaching (as needed).

         4.   PROMOTE COMPLEX LANGUAGE / EXPRESSION    Elicitation techniques (suggest specifics) /
                Expansion of student contributions / Increase wait-time / Maintain expectations

         5.   ELICIT BASES FOR STATEMENTS / POSITIONS    Promote student use of varied means for support:
                pictures, text, (unique means) / Probing

         6.   FEWER KNOWN-ANSWER QUESTIONS    Avoid Yes/No questions (and those to which you know
               the answer.)   (Avoid leading the witness to your answer!) / higher order questions critical to increased
               thinking about topics.

         7.   RESPONSE TO STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS    Contributions are opportunities (for exploration
               of their perspectives, background knowledge, level of language capability, etc. Every message is golden)

         8.   CONNECTED DISCOURSE    Multiple, interactive, connected turns (in the box?) / Succeeding
               comments build upon and can extend previous ones. (See #s 4 - 6)

         9.   CHALLENGING / NON-THREATENING ATMOSPHERE    Create "zone of proximal development.

       10.   GENERAL PARTICIPATION / SELF SELECTED TURNS    Teacher as facilitator, not gateway.
               Help students overcome conditioning of traditional classroom interaction / Provide assistance with
               (and extend) student contributions.

IMPLICATIONS

Draw meaningful relationships to topics, discussion and readings to the model of Instructional Conversation described above.
 

Excerpts by David W. Gurney, Associate Professor
TSL 5345    Fall, 1997

See. also, FLES page

See. also, Methodology page

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