Teachers’ Perspectives On and Reported Use of Classroom Discussions
Introduction
In the third year of the Talk Science research (2011–2012), we interviewed teachers in Grades 4 and 5 regarding their use of whole group discussions to support students’ science learning. The aim was to gain insight into teachers’ understanding of the role of science discussions, and their reported use of discussions for students’ learning.
We conducted pre–post interviews with Grade 5 teachers, interviewing them once prior to and once upon completion of the Inquiry Project curriculum and their participation in the Talk Science professional development program. The interviews with the Grade 4 teachers were conducted as post–interviews only after the teachers completed the Inquiry Project curriculum.
