Examination of classroom discussions during story retelling

© 2015 Rachael Jillian FurnerThis study examines the quality of language interactions in three early years classrooms during narrative retelling. Research continually demonstrates the positive impact of rich language dialogue on student learning outcomes, particularly in the early years of schooling. From Vygotskian psychological perspectives, talk is an essential medium of learning and cultural development. This view understands that knowledge is socially constructed, and talk is the essential means to facilitate this process. Although classroom discussions are an important context for improving oral language competency and academic development alike, research indicates that talk is often overlooked as a critical area of focus in education. A multi-case study design was selected to illuminate effective talk practices of teachers. Teacher perspectives of their own practices were at the forefront of this research design, and as such, an interpretivist-constructivist methodological frame was utilised. Nine lesson observations, interviews and reflective journal entries were collected for analysis. A talk analysis frame was developed from existing literature on quality classroom talk and applied to classroom discourse to support the examination of effective talk patterns. Purposeful sampling was employed to attract teachers who had participated in ongoing professional learning seminars with the student researcher across a three-year period. Two forms of professional learning were provided. First, an intensive professional learning two-day seminar on explicit oral language strategies, followed by sustained onsite collaborative planning and professional feedback sessions to support embedding the strategies in teachers’ practice. Analysis of the data identified the presence of quality collaborative dialogue in the three early years classrooms. There was a collection of factors that supported teachers in engaging students in rich dialogue. The findings of this research have implications for teacher professional learning to enhance talk practices in classrooms. The study findings suggest the need for a multifaceted approach for engaging students in academically conducive classroom talk and the inclusion of ongoing professional learning to build professional knowledge and practice of effective linguistic practices in classrooms