Speaking and Listening at Reception and Key Stage 1

3 Structuring Tasks Within A Curricular Context

3.3 Features of effective talking tasks

Many students find it difficult to plan effective group talk tasks. This is perhaps not surprising given what has been suggested earlier about the dearth of such tasks in many classrooms. To support students with their planning it is important to identify what the features of a good talking task are. That is to say, tasks with which children stay engaged, the talk is task related and children’ thinking is developed. This process can be started by asking groups to compare two tasks to derive what makes one task more likely to maintain involvement than the other. The tasks outlined below, based on Inga Moore’s book ‘Six Dinner Sid’, published by Hodder Children’s Books, should help students to do this.

Here are two tasks, Task A and Task B, which apparently cover the same content. Students should be given both tasks and asked to decide which one would be more likely to encourage children to talk in groups effectively. Hopefully, they will go for Task B! Students should now focus on Task B and identify at least 3 features which make it more effective.

Features common to both tasks

• There is a real or realistic purpose to the task
• The children have enough knowledge to talk about the topic
• The task builds on previous learning experiences
• There is a clear outcome
• The task is open enough to allow for a diversity of views (however in Task A this may lead to disputational or cumulative talk rather than exploratory talk, Grugeon, Dawes, Smith & Hubbard (2005)).

Features more specific to Task B

• The children's curiosity will be aroused
• The children need to talk to produce a satisfactory outcome
• The task resources are presented in ways which will enable children to modify opinions, add suggestions, change their minds etc. in light of the discussion
• There is a problem or dilemma; something to be worked out