Child-Teacher Dialogue: A Strategy for Facilitating Professional Learning in Schools

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Cross-National Studies of Teacher Learning and Contextualized Experiences

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a three-year study that explored how dialogue between teachers and students can lead to powerful teacher professional learning in order to ensure that all children are included in lessons. Building on an earlier project carried out with secondary schools, the study involved 30 primary schools, supported by university researchers, in five European countries. Resonating with this year’s conference theme, “the power of collaboration between researchers and organisational stakeholders”, the paper uses illustrative examples to demonstrate how this led to new ways of thinking and working amongst teachers. It concludes that it was often the views of children that had the potential to challenge teachers to invent new possibilities for engaging students in their lessons.

Authors

• Kyriaki Messiou, University of Southampton

• Mel Ainscow, University of Manchester