Instructional conversation in preschool settings

Abstract

Instructional Conversation refers to dialogic interaction between teachers and students in which prior knowledge is integrated with new material to help learners build understanding. While there is increasing evidence that IC produces gains in student achievement, most studies have involved K-12 instruction. This study investigated the efficacy of professional development for 13 early childhood educators and explored whether the criteria used to measure IC implementation were congruent with developmental expectations of young children. Results suggested that teachers had a . good understanding of IC and agreed with most criteria that measured its enactment. However, they felt criteria needed to be revised to include nonverbal communication, as young children often combine gestures with speech to convey the fullness of their thoughts.