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1
Pupils’ and Teachers’
understanding of the Nature
of Classroom Dialogue in
Sweden
Margareta Sandström Kjellin
Mälardalen University, Sweden
2007
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Citizenship according to Eurydice (2005)
1. Political literacy
2. Attitudes and values
3. Active participation of pupils
2007
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A case study of the ’attitudes and values’
aspect
•
Sandström Kjellin & Stier (2007) report five national case
studies of performance of the ’attitudes and values’ aspect
•
The classroom dialogue was horizontal only in Sweden
•
The Commission of the European communities suggest that
future Europeans will need certain ’key competences’ One
suggested competence is ’interpersonal, intercultural, social
and civic competence’
2007
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The Swedish National curriculum
•
Since 1994 each school is responsible for their own
school’s development
•
A set of ’fundamental values’ should be the basis for
all work in schools
•
The fundamental values include that pupils should be
involved in making decisions of for example the
character of the classroom dialogue
2007
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Two goals for the school
•
Goals to be attained = to master basic skills of for
example reading and writing
•
Goals to strive towards =to master more
’sophisticated’ skills, based on the fundmental
values. The purpose is to educate citizens who can
particpate in a public debate on problems of modern
society (= ’citizenship’/sustainable development)
2007
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Confusion about the goals
•
The goals are being reconsidered: the fundamental
values will still be emphasized;
•
the National Curriculum will contain the overarching
goals
•
In the national syllabuses there will be only one type
of goals; they will concern the subject knowledge
2007
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The new goals
•
The expression ’to have attained the goals’ will not
be used any more
•
Instead, the goals will describe ’in what direction’ the
instruction goes
•
There will be only one kind of goals, but they will not
be equivalent to the previous Goals to attain
2007
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To categorize values mediation
Colnerud (2004) suggests that you distinguish between:
•
Moral instruction (when teachers tell pupils what is
right and what is wrong)
•
Moral conversation (when teachers and pupils
consider moral problems)
•
Moral interaction (when the teacher genuinely listens
to the pupils and shows confidence)
2007
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Aims of this paper
•
To report and discuss a study in which 15-year-old
pupils at a Swedish multi-cultural school describe
how values are mediated in the classroom in
comparison to how their teachers describe this. Did
the pupils, and the teachers, describe the classroom
dialogue as
1.
moral instruction
2.
moral conversation and/or
3.
moral interaction?
2007
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Theoretical inputs
•
Bourdieu (1993): values are culture-specific
•
Durkheim (1956): values are transmitted over generations in
the socialisation and enculturation process
•
Heath (1983): common social background favours teacherpupil interaction
•
Ogbu (1997): Belonging to the same ’speech community’
favours teacher-pupil
2007
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Methodological approach
•
A case study performed at one specific school, a
diverse secondary school in mid-Sweden
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Participants were all 42 teachers and 76 (=50% of the )
15-year-old pupils
•
19 focus group dialogues were used to collect data (5
groups of teachers, and 14 groups of pupils)
2007
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Method …
•
Teachers and pupils were not asked exactly the same
questions, and they were not asked explicitly how the
classroom dialogue was
•
Colnerud’s distinction was used to categorize the
retorts in the dialogues
•
The participation in the dialogues was self-estimated
2007
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Results: participation in the dialogues
•
83% of the teachers and 84% of the pupils ’had
absolutely/to some extent brought forward their views
•
The pupils made comments like”This was
fun/good/nice” etc
•
Some of the teachers made comments like ”this was
good/profitable” etc., and some made comments like
”this was a waste of time/not natural/felt forced” etc.
2007
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Result: Character of the classroom dialogue
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All groups mentioned ’moral instruction’
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80% of the teacher groups mentioned ’moral
conversation’, and 50% of the pupil groups did so
•
80% of the teacher groups mentioned ’moral
interaction’ and 64% of the pupil groups did so
2007
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Results: moral education
•
Moral instruction was mentioned to 54% by the pupils and to
14% by the teachers
•
Moral conversation was mentioned equally by pupils and
teachers (9%/8%)
•
Moral interaction was mentioned to 37% by the pupils and to
78% by the teachers
•
The pupils tried to interact with the focus group moderators
2007
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Categorization: moral instruction
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”If you sort of step into the classroom with a box of
sweets:’what have we said about the rules’?” (pupil)
•
”… make them understand that when someone is
talking you should listen” (teacher)
2007
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Categorization: moral conversation
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”There are certain countries in Asia where people
don’t have the same rights as we have in Sweden. We
talk about why it is like that there but not here. It is
different societies” (pupil)
•
”It’s when they start asking ’why do you say this’?
Then they will say ’in my country it is like this’ and
then I will encourage them to talk and we will
compare” (teacher)
2007
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Categorization: moral interaction
•
[about teachers] ”Best friends – you can talk with
many of the teachers about anything. They can talk to
us also about almost anything” (pupil)
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”When pupils have brought up a subject that they,
that feels very important right then […] because then
they will forget, I think, that you are a teacher and they
see you more like an adult or just a partner in the
conversation maybe” (teacher)
2007
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Discussion
•
The participation was high for both groups; the
pupils’ comments were more positive
•
The pupils thought that ’moral instruction’ was
delivered more than the teachers did
•
The teachers thought that ’moral interaction’
occurred more than the pupils did
•
The fact that the pupils tried to interact with the
moderators is seen as a sign that they were used to
being allowed to interact with adults
2007
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Continuation of the project …
•
The teachers were trained to guide each other at solving
problems
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The result was that the problems they presented were A. on
general level (3)
•
B. group level (6)
•
C. on individual level (3)
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•
A. For the problems on general level, advice were given about
moral instruction and structural measures
•
B. For the problems on group level, advice were given about
moral instruction/conversation/interaction and also structural
measures
•
C. For the problems on individual level, advice were given
about moral instruction and conversation and also about
structural measures
2007
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Conclusions
•
There was a trusting relationship between the pupils and
the adults in this study; this is seen as a prerequisite for
teenagers to take an interest in the adult world
•
How can teachers combine this moral education with the
changes planned as regards the focus on ’basic skills’?
This is also seen as a sign that these pupils are
encouraged to develop the key competence
’interpersonal, intercultural, social and civic competence’
•
How can teachers combine this moral education with the
changes planned as regards the focus on ’basic skills’?
2007