Introducing Dialogic Talk

If you have been more used to the IRF type of teaching, choosing to introduce dialogic teaching and talk may not be easy as it requires teachers to take more of a back seat, and adopt a stronger listening and assessing role when pupils are talking and interacting with each other. You'll need to stop yourself responding to every pupil utterance, and the pupils may find it difficult to begin with as they will be expecting you to respond as usual.

The following advice on dialogic teaching which has come from a project run in a number of secondary and primary schools in Barking and Dagenham may help you plan for dialogic teaching.

Guidance for introducing dialogic teaching (21 KB)

Activity

Having looked at some of the video clips, select a class where you know there is likely to be some whole-class or small group discussion. Plan and introduce the class to dialogic talk for about five to ten minutes remembering also to review it with them to evaluate its strengths and what you and they might do next to improve it.