Language for the Social Construction of Knowledge: Comparing Classroom Talk in Mexican Preschools  

Oleh:

Wegerif, Rupert ; Mercer, Neil ; Rojas-Drummond, Sylvia

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Language and Education (Full Text) vol. 13 no. 2 (1999), page 133-150.
Fulltext: Vol. 13, No. 2, p 133-150.pdf (322.3KB)

Isi artikel

This study compares two sets of matching classrooms in Mexican preschools over a period of a year. In one set of classrooms the children improved significantly in independent problem-solving. We looked at videotape and transcripts taken over the year to see, retrospectively, whether the reasons for the improvement in problem-solving could be found in the classroom language. Differences in the two sets of data were explored with a method for investigating classroom talk which combines qualitative interpretation with computer-based analysis. This method had been developed to explore peer classroom talk in the UK and was being applied in a new context. A sociocultural model of how children learn independent problem-solving was also developed and applied to the analysis. This model was found to fit a number of types of teaching and learning exchanges found in the classrooms where problem-solving increased. The method used also enabled us to isolate several specific verbal strategies which carried the social construction of knowledge through scaffolding the pupils’ engagement in independent problem-solving and reasoning. As well as these contributions to the theory and practice of education the study illustrates the value and transferability of a new method for investigating classroom talk.

Opini Anda

Klik untuk menuliskan opini Anda tentang koleksi ini!

Kembali