Communication and Learning Revisited: Making Meaning Through Talk

Dialogue plays a central part in all schooling, and educators now realize that students' talk is at least as important as that of teachers. When groups of students are engaged in collaborative learning, talk increases understanding and encourages more positive attitudes toward learning. Why? Small group tasks engage all students in discussion, not only the more vociferous ones.

Communication and Learning Revisited differs from other books on the topic of cooperative learning because its central focus is on group dialogue. How do students talk with each other while partaking in collaborative working groups? What can teachers extract from group dialogue to make their own interventions as effective as possible? What are suitable tasks to delegate for effective group learning? What does research tell us about managing groups of learners?

A central focus of the book is its relevant discussion of student talk in numerous disciplines. Barnes and Todd demonstrate for the reader how collaboration among students promotes understanding of concepts and ideas. The cognitive and social strategies that enhance collaboration are described.

The book exemplifies a principled view of collaborative talk's role in learning and sets forth a theoretical framework by drawing upon the ideas of writers such as Vygotsky and Bakhtin. While Communication and Learning Revisited primarily addresses teachers interested in improving their teaching, it also has much to offer those embarking upon research into classroom dialogue. Readers will find useful advice as well as valuable challenges to their thinking.

Douglas Barnes was Reader in Education at the University of Leeds, England, until his retirement in 1989. After studying English literature at Cambridge University, he taught English at various British high schools for the first seventeen years of his career. In 1966, Barnes moved to the University of Leeds, expanding his interests to include research on the role of spoken and written language in school learning across the curriculum.

Frankie Todd is director and department chair of continuing professional education at the University of Leeds. Prior to this appointment, she served as the University of York's first coordinator for continuing education. A social scientist, Todd's main academic interest is in the role of dialogue in learning. She has worked with a range of professional groups at both initial and continuing education levels.