we create our world
through interaction with others
one
way to interact meaningfully with others is by following a learning cycle
when in discussion
one possible learning cycle is
Peter Wright is a teacher who has always preferred to create opportunities for group work rather than standing at the front of the class and delivering a lecture. Over the last few years he has been intrigued about how students talk to other and whether it is possible to help them improve their conversations.
Listening to students talking in between classes he realized that a lot of the talk was at the detail level – sharing information about their weekends, people they know. Some of them particularly shared how they were feeling. Peter then became more aware of his own conversations, particularly noticing when he went away feeling deeply satisfied. In these conversations there was something more – drawing out key ideas and understanding from examples, imagining new possibilities. He realized that there was a rhythm to the whole process. Students’ normal chat rarely seemed to move beyond first base. He noticed that these stages of a conversation almost mirrored the Preferred Learning Styles developed by Julia Atkin.
He wondered if he could help improve the talk by making students aware of the rhythm of good conversation – so they could apply it at any time without needing specifically designed questions to guide their discussion. So he designed a model, which integrates ideas from the Learning Style Theory with de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. (See the handout he gives his students below.) He is currently using this model in his Year 11 Information Systems class, introducing it at the beginning of the year as a guide to discussions. Over the course of the year students practice talking together, being able to tease out concepts and issues in the course with greater rigor, breadth and depth. The model is also used as a guide to individual essay assignments, exam questions, and a major project. Examples of these are given below.
The students really value the dialogical process and the skills they have gained. They have a greater appreciation and respect for each other as well as achieving better academically.
