#exploratory talk

Why group talk matters

In Effective Teaching: a review of the Literature, by David Reynolds and Daniel Muijs (2005), the following summary is offered as to what research evidence tells us about group work:

·      It can aid learning

·      It can assist pupils’ social development

·      It can assist pupils’ linguistic development

And yet our default mode in the classroom most of the time tends to be teacher-led discussion or, ‘turn to your neighbour and discuss these questions’. Indeed, in a survey of primary schools Muijs and Reynolds found that less than 10% of lesson time was spent doing group work. Now, much of the time there may be nothing wrong with this approach (though Phil Beadle variously labels the teacher-led discussion as ‘an unthinking default setting’, ‘an utterly inefficient way of running a discussion’, and even, ‘Satan’!), but it may be that giving some extra thought to how we structure talk in the classroom, in the same way that we might give extra thought to the questions we ask, will improve the amount of exploratory talk used in the classroom, and thereby improve the quality of learning. It is certainly the case that group work can aid pupils’ linguistic and cognitive development by providing an opportunity for the word-poor to mingle with the word-rich

Not all group talk is effective

However, merely putting pupils in groups is of course not a guarantee they will learn effectively; in fact, we may often see group work that generates activity but little in the way of learning. Many wide-ranging reviews paint a mixed picture of group work: as the adage says, when it is good it is very, very good. And when it is bad, it is horrid. In other words, it is possible to do group work badly.

How can we make group talk effective?

Effective group work requires an underpinning rationale, clear goals, individual accountability and ground rules. When these are established, the quality of group discussions can be transformed. A systematic approach to training in the art of discussion leads to significant gains in subject learning. This can include everything from reading comprehension and written English to maths, science and the humanities, as well as improvements in cognitive tests of verbal, non-verbal and numerical reasoning.

This can be done quite easily and the research offers plenty of examples to frame discussions. For example:

·      Everyone should contribute and take turns to speak.

·      All useful ideas should be shared and considered.

·      Ideas should be justified with reasons.

·      Challenges are encouraged but students must disagree with the point, not the person.

·      Try to reach agreement; don’t just agree to differ.

However, it is important to co-construct the ground rules with students – make sure they have a sense of ownership over the rules that govern their behaviour.

How to organise group talk

Below are a number of suggestions for structuring group talk, reinvigorating social groupings, building the groups around the intended purpose of the lesson, and providing different talk opportunities for different pupils.

·      Think-pair-share

·      Think-pair-share-square

·      Paired talk where you design the pairs

·      Listening triads. Place pupils in groups of three – a talker, a questioner and a recorder who reports back.

·      Envoys. After a task, one person from each group visits another group to share ideas, then reports back to the original group.

·      Snowball. In pairs, pupils discuss or brainstorm ideas, then double up to fours, which then double up to eight, leading to whole class debate.

·      Rainbow groups. After a separate group task, pupils are regrouped by colour, to make new groups comprising someone from each old group.

·      Jigsaw. Before a task, ‘home’ group allocate a section to each member. New ‘expert’ groups then form for each section. Finally, ‘home’ groups re-form and share findings.

·      Spokesperson. Students discuss a topic in groups. A spokesperson from each group is then asked in turn for a new point. If they can’t immediately respond, they have 20 seconds to consult their group. This avoids, ‘I don’t know’ and legitimises group thinking, analysis and consultation.

·      Observer / listener. Within each group, assign a pupil the role of observer / listener. Their role is to watch the group dynamic and listen to their language use. Their feedback on the group’s interaction and language develops critical talk and reflection, and also monitors their adherence to the ground rules.

·      Philosophy for Children (P4C). For the more confident practitioner, this technique is rather more complicated than can be explained here. Kerry Gibson is our in-house P4C guru; please speak to her if you would like further information about this strategy.

Top ten tips for introducing group talk

Try it first with a class you know well, and with whom you have good relations.

Start by asking students what they think makes a discussion go well or badly. It can also help to show students some video clips of good and bad group talk. Discuss what “invisible” ground rules are at play in each.

Discuss what “invisible ground rules” exist in classroom discussions (e.g. only speak if you know you have the right answer)

Provide a set of generic examples for what good and bad group talk looks like in classrooms.

Agree a list of “visible” ground rules to make sure that group tasks go swimmingly. Collate suggestions into a long list and then whittle it down to around 5-7 items. Encourage students to word things positively (e.g. do, rather than “do not”). Negotiate!

Print it out and get the students to sign it. Display it where everyone can see it.

Start small – paired talk. Give the students something worthwhile to discuss: the questions you ask are important. Circulate and listen. Ask students you have listened to, to repeat to the class things you have just heard them saying. Celebrate, share, model, reward good practice.

At the start of a subsequent session, remind the students of the ground rules.

When the need arises, review the ground rules. Do any need adding, amending or removing?

Repeat steps 1 to 9. Practice, reflect, seek feedback, tweak, improve, share best practice and support others.

References and further reading

Geoff Barton, Don’t Call it Literacy (Routledge)

Phil Beadle, Literacy (Independent Thinking Press)

Exploratory talk for learning

What do we know about student talk in the classroom? (from Geoff Barton)

•       It is dominated by teacher talk (75% of classroom talk)

•       Mostly consists of Q&A

•       60% of students never have a conversation with adults in school

•       We massively waste students’ potential by not using talk more systematically

What is exploratory talk?

Exploratory talk is that in which partners engage critically but constructively with each other’s ideas … it is an effective way of using language to think (Neil Mercer)

The readiest way of working on understanding is often through talk, because the flexibility of speech makes it easy for us to try out new ways of arranging what we know, and easy also to change them if they seem inadequate. (Douglas Barnes)

What is the difference between exploratory talk and presentational talk?

Exploratory talk is typical of the early stages of approaching new ideas. It is hesitant and incomplete because it enables the speaker to try out ideas, to hear how they sound, to see what others make of them, and to arrange information and ideas into different patterns. This is to be distinguished from presentational talk, in which the speaker’s attention is primarily focused on adjusting the language, content and manner to the needs of an audience. In exploratory talk, by contrast, the speaker is more concerned with sorting out his or her own thoughts. Teachers need to be sensitive to the differences between them and use them appropriately.

What are the purposes of exploratory talk?

Exploratory talk is important because it helps students to think – to sort out their thoughts and make sense of things. Its purposes might include, but are not limited to:

Making suggestions

Challenging ideas

Asking questions

Justifying ideas

Analysing and evaluating

Building on, clarifying, modifying others’ ideas

Summarising

Done properly, this can involve each and every Habit of Mind.

What’s the problem with it?

Research evidence suggests that very little exploratory talk naturally occurs in classrooms when children work together in groups. (Neil Mercer: Words and Minds)

Exploratory talk provides an important means of working on understanding, but learners are unlikely to embark on it unless they feel relatively at ease, free from the danger of being aggressively contradicted or made fun of.

In the earlier stages of a new topic, it is likely to be exploratory talking that will contribute more to the interrelating of old ways of thinking and new possibilities: in other words, it will be more likely to enable learners to think. We have to teach and model this. Setting up a supportive context for learning during lessons is central to good teaching. It is through talking over new ideas with their teachers and peers that pupils can most readily move towards new ways of thinking and feeling.

What conditions might promote productive exploratory talk?

•       Thoughtful groupings

•       Specific roles within groups

•       Planning as carefully as you would other tasks

•       Clear outcomes

•       Specific time-limits

•       Modelling the required language and behaviour

What are some useful strategies for structuring exploratory talk?

(a) make it clear that some parts of lessons are expressly intended to be discussion sessions, in which questions and diverse views on a topic can be expressed;

(b) during whole-class discussions, allow a series of responses to be made without making any immediate evaluations;

(c) if some different views have been expressed, ask pupils for reasons and justifications for their views before proceeding;

(d) precede whole-class discussion of particular questions or issues with a short group-based session, in which pupils can prepare joint responses for sharing with the class. It may help to offer pupils a set of alternative explanations, contentious statements or ideas on a topic, and ask them to decide which are true/false, and why;

(e) before providing a definitive account or explanation (of, for example, a scientific phenomenon), elicit several children’s current ideas on the topic. Then link your explanation to these ideas.

(f) use whole-class sessions to gather feedback from children about how they have worked together in groups. Are the ground rules working? Do the rules need to be revised? Do they feel their discussions have been constructive? If not, why not? And what could be done about it?

(g) ask pupils to nominate other pupils in whole-class discussions, so that the teacher does not always choose who should speak.

Summary: in order to promote exploratory talk

•       Plan it: aim for a variety of groups / activities

•       Model the language you expect

•       Make yourself be detached

•       Feedback on the process, not just the content

•       Praise endlessly: it means more to the students than it does to us

References and further reading

Douglas Barnes, “Exploratory talk for learning”

http://www.corwin.com/upm-data/23512_01_Mercer_Ch_01.pdf

Neil Mercer and Lynn Dawes, “The value of exploratory talk” https://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-000-23-0939-A/outputs/Download/2a239d65-89f9-4e38-a027-1f1296f44a5e

Both taken from, Mercer, N. & Hodgkinson, S. (2008) (Eds) Exploring Talk in School. (London: Sage.)