Source: Journal of Science Teacher Education, Volume 22, Issue 8, p. 705-727, December 2011
The current study reports the experiences of science student teachers when introduced to the Communicative Approach to science education drawing on dialogic teacher-talk in addition to authoritative teacher-talk.
This approach was introduced to the students in an interventional teaching program running parallel to the student teachers’ field practice.
The practical implications of this approach during initial teacher education are the central focus of this study.
The data indicate that the student teacher awareness of teacher-talk and alternative communicative options increased.
Student teachers reported greater awareness of the different functions of teacher-talk as well as the challenges when trying to implement dialogic teaching.