Improving the efficiency of dialogue in tutoring

The current studies investigated the efficient use of dialogue in intelligent tutoring systems that use natural language interaction. Such dialogues can be relatively time-consuming. This work addresses the question of how much dialogue is needed to produce significant learning gains. In Experiment 1, a full dialogue condition and a read-only control condition were compared with a mixed dialogue condition in which students engaged in full dialogue for half the problems followed by problems requiring only a limited engagement. We found that the mixed dialogue condition produced results as impressive as the full dialogue condition and took less time. Experiment 2 replicated these findings and further examined issues of time engaged in learning, quality of instruction, and learning gains. Overall, these results show that dialogue-based intelligent tutoring systems could be designed in a more efficient manner to maximize learning and minimize the cost of time-on-task.     

Dialogue as a catalyst for teacher change: A conceptual analysis

Teacher–teacher dialogue is a central activity within many professional learning programmes. Understanding how and why dialogue works as an effective tool for teacher change is a question, however, that needs more careful probing in the extant literature. In this paper, I draw upon the philosophical theory of practical reason in order to show why and how teacher–teacher dialogue plays such a crucial role in the evolution of teacher practice. This conceptual analysis also builds our understanding as to the kinds of teacher–teacher dialogues that are more likely to be effective at catalysing teacher learning.     

Learning to manage and managing to learn

In this paper Fiona Reeve, Jim Gallacher and Terry Mayes of Glasgow Caledonian University, bring together two current themes in higher education, work‐based learning and the use of new technology in teaching and learning. The paper begins to explore their interaction by examining the ways in which new technology can help to overcome some of the barriers which exist to work‐based learning. To begin this analysis a general model of a WWW‐based learning resource is described which has relevance for a range of open learning contexts. A central aspect of this model is the use of communication technologies to promote the creation of learning dialogues. The way in which this general model might be applied to work‐based learning is then examined. Having suggested that such a model has much to offer work‐based learning, some of the constraints which might be encountered on implementation are then identified. Finally, the authors conclude that it is in promoting more and better forms of communication that new technology can contribute towards work‐based learning practice.     

Student teachers go online; the need for a focus on human agency and pedagogy in learning about ‘e-learning’ in initial teacher education (ITE)

This paper argues that student teachers’ developing pedagogical approaches achieve expression within the virtual classroom in much the same way as they would in the ‘real’ classroom; that is to say through language as the primary tool of mediation. Whilst the advent of new communications technologies affords new arenas in which learning can take place—Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), online communities, Managed Learning Environments—the importance of human agency and the significance of language remains pivotal to the effective use of such technologies. As such it is argued that student teachers need opportunities to engage in authentic online dialogue with children as they endeavour to find their online pedagogical voice. The key findings emerge from a case study carried out with a group of Year 3 ICT specialists on an undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) degree course in the UK, leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) in the primary and lower secondary phases of education. Funding from the University of Brighton, Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP), was used to design and resource a module, which facilitated opportunities for student teachers to engage in online learning dialogues with children from a local primary school, having initially met with the children face-to-face. Fourteen student teachers participated in the study. Interviews were carried out and their online dialogues with the children were analysed to establish both the issues and potential advantages of such a situated approach to learning about the educational use of new communications technologies with children.     

Teacher-student discourse in active learning lectures: case studies from undergraduate physics

In this paper we develop knowledge of the discourse that takes place between teacher and students in two large undergraduate classes which use a flipped, active learning approach. In flipped classes students encounter the content through pre-class resources, freeing up class time for more active engagement with the material. This results in increased opportunities for teacher-student interactions which may be beneficial for learning. Our aim here is to explore the nature and purposes of these dialogues. Two case studies from introductory physics classes at the University of Edinburgh are analysed through a sociocultural perspective. Three main purposes of dialogues are observed: (1) Involving students in sense-making, (2) Guided expert modelling and (3) Wonderment questions. We found that the dialogues predominantly use a triadic Initiation, Response, Feedback (IRF) format and are authoritative in nature, but work together to create an interactive learning environment that can be described as ‘ideologically dialogic’     

学习的意义及其实现——对话视野中的学习观

对话是平等者之间一种共生的交往关系。从对话的视角看,学生的学习就是学生不断与客观世界对话,获得知识,建构客观世界意义的活动;是学生与他人对话,构建自己的社会关系的活动;也是学生与自我对话,探索与塑造自我的活动。这三种对话是学习活动的三个维度,而不是孤立的三种类型。在当前的学校教育环境中,这三种对话还受到很大限制。学校要改变这种局面,构建三位一体的对话学习活动,建立学习共同体是个很好的选择。     

Critically reflective dialogues in learning communities of professionals

Communities in which professionals share and create knowledge potentially support their continued learning. To realise this potential more fully, members are required to reflect critically. For learning at work such behaviour has been described as critically reflective work behaviour, consisting of six aspects: challenging groupthink, critical opinion sharing, an openness about mistakes, asking for and giving feedback, experimentation and research utilisation. We studied whether and how these aspects can be distinguished in dialogues of seven different communities of veterinary professionals (critically reflective dialogues). Our exploration of the nature of critically reflective dialogues resulted in an analytical framework. Within each aspect four different modes of communication were identified: interactive, on an individual basis, non-reflective and restricted. We assume that professionals use learning opportunities most in the interactive mode of communication. The framework was employed to study the extent to which dialogues showed these modes of critically reflective dialogues. The results demonstrate that in these communities the modes of communication within aspects were largely non-interactive (i.e., individual, non-reflective). The developed framework discriminates between communities in terms of their critically reflective dialogues. Interventions to improve the effectiveness of learning communities should focus on enhancement of members addressing each other's reasons and reflections.     

The teacher shaping and creating dialogues in project work

The background of the work presented in this article is that for quite some time project work has been a method of working that is more theoretically described than it is put into practice. The aim of this text is to show how a teacher can function as a facilitator or a guide for the students within project‐directed teaching and how this setting can enhance the students’ learning. A qualitative method with a focus on dialogues in the classroom was used in the inquiry process. In this article a dialogue between the students in the realization phase of the work is analysed in depth to illustrate how student interaction framed by project work can enhance the students’ learning. In the study Dewey’s, Vygotsky’s and Bakhtin’s theories are used as a theoretical framework and the activity system is used to visualize the work processes in their intertwined context. The outcome of the study shows that learning is inherent in language, but concludes that it demands a great deal of the teacher to create such learning situations.     

Preparing pre-service teachers for the profession: creating spaces for transformative practice

Within professional learning communities, the processes of shared reflection and critique, or critical transformative dialogues are considered crucial for the maintenance and improvement of professional practice. This paper focuses on the development of the processes of critical transformative dialogues and their application in the professional development of pre-service teachers. Participants reported a growing understanding of the importance of a continuing critical dialogue, and an appreciation of the value that critical feedback has in developing professional skills. The paper argues for the value of providing spaces for early engagement in the processes of critical transformative dialogue as part of professional preparation. A cumulative model of transformative practice for supporting pre-service teachers’ emerging schema for teaching is proposed.     

Professional dialogues: exploring an alternative means of assessing the professional learning of experienced HE academics

Courses are widely used to provide professional qualifications for higher education (HE) practitioners. However, the question of how experienced academics might gain recognition as professional educators without completing a course is not well explored. This paper introduces the use of professional dialogue for this purpose, describing an approach being applied within four UK universities. The paper discusses the value of the professional dialogue, drawing on assessors’ and participants’ voices to provide empirical evidence. Findings from the study suggest that ‘assessed dialogues’ provide a more authentic route to professional recognition for experienced HE academics, effectively synthesising professional development, the individual and organisational learning.     

伽达默尔的对话理论

对对话的重视是伽达默尔哲学解释学的一项基本特征,也是哲学家伽达默尔本人的个性所在。他对对话理论的强调不仅是他的哲学解释学的理论要求,更是他作为西方20世纪人文主义知识分子的性格使然。在他看来,对话的核心是语言问题,语言只能存在于对话之中,但由于技术的发展和人们交往能力的衰退,我们也逐渐丧失了基本的对话能力,问题的解决只能通过一种善良意志的探寻,来达到一种相互理解,并通过一种跨文化的交流,实现一种更为普遍的人类共同的善。     

促对话，重探究： UBC研讨式课程的教学设计与策略分析

课程学习是研究生教育阶段学生培养的重要环节。以加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚大学教育学院一门研究生研讨式课程作为对象,综合运用案例研究、教学观察等方法,深入剖析研讨式课程的理论基础、教学设计和实践策略。研究发现,基于对话教学观和建构主义知识观所设计的研讨式课程,有利于打破以往研究生教学中教师唱独角戏、学习者主体缺失和沉默的课堂等魔咒,形成既有教学计划又有对话自由的课堂。在具体的教学实践中,综合运用积极学习教学法,还能更好地促进学生的投入与探究性学习。这对我国研究生课程建设的政策变革和课堂教学的实践探索有一定的启示意义。     

Computer-Mediated Epistemic Dialogue: Explanation and Argumentation as Vehicles for Understanding Scientific Notions

Epistemic dialogues, involving explanation and argumentation, have been recognized as potential vehicles for conceptual understanding. Although the role of dialogue in learning has received much attention, the problem of creating situations in which students engage in epistemic dialogue has only begun to be addressed. This article highlights the set of factors that must be taken into account in designing a computer-supported collaborative learning situation that encourages students to discuss scientific notions. These factors include the choice of the domain issue, the activities proposed to students, and the role of technology. We describe the design of CONNECT, an integrated environment and task sequence for the collaborative confrontation, negotiation, and construction of text. Results are then presented from a study in which students individually wrote an interpretation of a sound phenomenon, were matched in dyads so as to maximize semantic differences between their texts, and then collaboratively discussed and wrote common texts across the network using CONNECT. We show how careful engineering of the CONNECT environment favors the occurrence of epistemic dialogue and creates opportunities for conceptual understanding. The discussion centers on why these opportunities might be missed, as well as on the conditions required for students to exploit them.     

Using peer and teacher-student exemplar dialogues to unpack assessment standards: challenges and possibilities

Dialogic use of exemplars is effective in developing student understanding of assessment standards. However, limited studies have investigated how exemplar dialogues are conducted in the post-secondary context. To fill the gap, this teacher-research explores the characteristics of peer and teacher–student exemplar talk in three post-secondary classrooms and the challenges in the dialogic process. The participants involved 69 first-year post-secondary students, a critical friend and a teacher-researcher. Data analysis on selected dialogue excerpts, an open-ended survey, focus group interviews with the students, critical friend’s commentary and a teacher-researcher reflective journal indicated two major issues: (i) students’ lack of capacities to resolve socio-cognitive conflict in the peer dialogue; (ii) the dilemma of addressing students’ immediate assessment needs and developing their long-term evaluative judgements in the teacher–student dialogue. Recommendations are made to tackle the challenges and to orchestrate productive exemplar dialogues.     

Informal formative assessment: The role of instructional dialogues in assessing students’ learning

This paper focuses on an unceremonious type of formative assessment - informal formative assessment - in which much of what teachers and students do in the classroom can be described as potential assessments that can provide evidence about the students’ level of understanding. More specifically, the paper focuses on assessment conversations, or dialogic interactions or exchanges, which continuously happen in the classroom and that are at the center of informal formative assessment. It is argued that assessment conversations make students’ thinking explicit in an unobtrusive manner, and when students’ thinking is explicit, it can be examined, questioned, and shaped as an active object of constructive learning. The paper conceptualizes informal formative assessment at the center of effective instructional activities with the use of instructional dialogues as assessment conversations, a typical informal formative assessment practice. The paper then presents a discussion about the evidence on the effect of assessment conversations on student learning.     

Ambiguity as a motor for communication—Differences between hearing and deaf students’ ways of reasoning about energy

Ambiguity in group discussions as a resource for communication is studied. How students, aged 13–15 years, elaborate on the concept energy through dialogue is described. Group interviews were conducted with 15 hearing and 20 deaf students. Three probes were used to initiate discussions on different meanings of energy. The results show that the dialogues are less elaborated for deaf learners compared with hearing learners. It is argued that dialogues between hearing students have a greater chance of becoming ‘joint productive activity’, since the ambiguity of the word energy in Swedish lays the ground for shared meaning-making. To deaf learners, the ambiguity between the Swedish word and the signs used produces uncertainty and puts an end to further dialogue.     

Apprendre par le dialogue : le cas des pharmaciens d’officine en interaction avec leurs clients

Learning through dialogue: the case of retail pharmacists’ interactions with their customers – This article seeks to highlight certain identity processes that are mobilized through dialogue in the workplace and that promote learning (or information gathering) in this context. These processes are studied in the population of retail pharmacists, much of whose work centres on interactions with customers. Dutch psychologist Hubert Hermans’ theory of the dialogical self is used as a theoretical framework. The main hypothesis developed in the article is that to understand the problems of the customers who come into their pharmacies and adapt to their requests, pharmacists must adopt a series of I positions in their dialogues with them. French pharmacists in Paris and the Paris region were observed and interviewed. The four dialogue extracts studied here underline the diversity of I-positions implemented in pharmacist-customer dialogues. The diversity of registers that pharmacists are able to deploy in their interactions appears to be inherent to their professionalism and a necessary aspect of their work. These results open up perspectives for further research into the association of workplace learning and identity transformation.     

DIE SOKRATISCHE LEHRSTRATEGIE UND IHRE RELEVANZ FÜR DIE HEUTIGE DIDAKTIK

Socrates (469–399 B.C.) formulated a unique method of teaching, of which the main characteristic is dialogue. We have no authentic record, but Plato has preserved the "Socratic conversations" in his dialogues. In the first part of this study, the Socratic strategy is examined through a comparative analysis of the early Platonic dialogues with the theories of critical rationalism and the cognitive theories based on motivation for achievement and learning. In the dialogues, Socrates invites his interlocutors to express their opinions, professing himself ignorant of the matter under discussion, but gradually challenges their certainties and moves from the particular and the egocentric to the general concept, using concrete examples. The second part of this study gives a detailed presentation of the elements of the Socratic strategy of teaching and learning: conversation, the exploitation of errors in teaching, aporia (confused doubt), critical reflection and intellectual honesty, and tolerance. These continue to be of relevance today and are timely in the context of shifting values and the need for a critical approach to knowledge.     

对话教学在高校政治理论课教学中的应用

对话教学是高校政治理论课教学改革的一个有效途径。高校政治理论课对话教学具体包括师生对话,师生与文本的对话,学生与生活、与自我的对话等几方面的内容。对话教学构建了高校政治理论课立体教学的全新构架,可以真正在教学中体现以学生为本,使学生得到全面发展。     

Shared understandings: structuring the writing experience through dialogue

When teachers view writing as a social process in which authors write for real audiences and authentic purposes, they change their instruction accordingly to meet the needs of writers with learning disabilities. As more experienced members of a larger community of writers, teachers play a primary role in apprenticing students into the inherently social functions of writing. Through teacher-student dialogues about the complexities of the writing process, students gradually develop and control their own writing "voice" as they use and transform the shared understandings of the group process. Text structure, writing strategies, and metacognitive knowledge of the writing process provide opportunities for teachers and students with learning disabilities to interact and create shared understandings about the composition process. This article reviews some recent attempts to use text structures and the writing process as frameworks to guide the composition dialogue.