Yakkity Yak - Don't talk back!

Picking up from where I left off -- I failed my driving test last month. Aargh! 'Twas the devlish roundabout that led to the rout! I was felled in thirty seconds by a faulty manoeuvre attempting a Second Exit Right. When we returned from the test for the debriefing, my instructor said to me, "You are a good driver. What happened?"

Not really sure what happened. For some inexplicable reason (fear of tests!) I was not able to communicate my expertise to the tester. Despite twenty years of driving in Mumbai.

Delving deeper, what really happened is what happens to many people when they're faced with having to prove their worth. They are unable to communicate their skills with the degree of sophistication that may required.

It is the ability to communicate that determines the survival and success of a species. History Channel's Evolve Series offers an indepth insight into how communication has played a critical role in evolution, providing different species with the ability to fend off predators, acquire a mate and find food.

Not surprisingly, one of the key skills identified for Employability is Communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Fostering employability is about cultivating skills and building the confidence and communication techniques needed to show and tell people about it.

That brings us to the role of Conversation and Dialogue. Many generations (and I!) have suffered school systems where talk in class was forbidden and punished. Today however, conversations and dialogue are recognised as essential to development and learning. Dialogic literacy is recognised as a critical necessity in a revolutionary new pedagogy.

New research into brain development and socio-economic status suggests a possible link between talking to children and their ability to process visual stimuli.

There is much in the literature about the role of conversation and dialogue in fostering exchange, collaboration and learning. Many educationists have highlighted the role of the role of dialogue and the community of inquiry in facilitating self-evaluation and feedback. Lipman (1991:19) writes that “…ideally the relationship between teacher and students has this character of face to face dialogue…”

But how exactly does it work? You'll find an excellent overview and references to the subject in Engaging in Conversation and Dialogue and Conversation.

For an indepth discussion, read Robin Alexander's 2005 paper, Culture, Dialogue and Learning: Notes on an Emerging Pedagogy. He suggests that classroom talk tends to become mere recitation or pseudo-enquiry and points out that though"...classrooms are places where a great deal of talking goes on...Teachers rather than learners control what is said, who says it and to whom. Teachers rather than learners do most of the talking."

Shall we let the learners do the talking for a change? To be continued.