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Home > Reflective Teaching in Primary Schools >  3. Teaching for learning > 11. Pedagogy > Reflective Activities > To investigate time spent in talking and listening, in a classroom based group activity


  1. 1. Becoming a reflective professional
       1. Identity
       2. Learning
  2.    3. Reflection
  3.    4. Principles
  4.    Observing [supplementary chapter]
  5.    Enquiry [supplementary chapter]
  6.    Mentoring [supplementary chapter]
  7.    Techniques of enquiry
       [supplementary chapter]

  8. 2. Creating conditions for learning
  9.    5. Contexts
  10.    6. Relationships
  11.    7. Engagement
  12.    8. Spaces

  13. 3. Teaching for learning
  14.    9. Curriculum
  15.    10. Planning
  16.    11. Pedagogy
  17.    12. Communication
  18.    13. Assessment

  19. 4. Reflecting on consequences
  20.    14. Outcomes
  21.    15. Social justice
  22.    Judgement
       [supplementary chapter]

  23. 5. Deepening understanding
  24.    16. Teacher expertise
  25.    17. Professional learning
  26.    18. Professionalism
  27.    Starting out [supplementary
       chapter]
  28.    Improvement [supplementary
       chapter]

To investigate time spent in talking and listening, in a classroom based group activity

Aim

To investigate time spent in talking and listening, in a classroom based group activity.

Evidence and reflection

Tape record (or better still video record) part of a teaching session (e.g.  15 minutes). Remember that unless a relatively quiet room is used, it may be difficult to hear what is said against background noise. In a whole class situation the teacher's voice often dominates.  In a small group situation all the participants can usually be heard on the average cassette recorder.

Focal Points for consideration:

1. How much talking is there and who is doing it?

  • Calculate total amount of time spent on teacher talk.  
  • Calculate time spent by children talking to teacher, and to each other. Are there any differences between boys/girls, high/low attainders... etc.?

2. Where is the talk directed?

  • Calculate the number of times the teacher is spoken to, by whom, why.
  • Calculate the number of times different children are spoken to, by whom, why.

3. What is the talk about?

  • Calculate the amount of time spent on social/personal discussion.
  • Calculate the amount of talk spent setting the task up, and supervising the work.
  • Calculate the amount of time spent on discussing the main points, or substantive content, of the task.

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