Researchers

Professor Tim Jay, Ben Willis, Dr Nick Moore, Dr Roberta Taylor, Professor Cathy Burnett, Professor Guy Merchant, Anna Stevens (SIoE); Peter Thomas (Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics)

Project date

2015-2017

Evaluation of a Dialogic Teaching intervention in primary schools

The aim of the intervention was to raise levels of engagement and attainment across English, maths, and science in primary schools by improving the quality of teacher and pupil talk in the classroom. The approach, termed ‘dialogic teaching’, emphasises dialogue through which pupils learn to reason, discuss, argue, and explain in order to develop their higher order thinking as well as their articulacy.

The intervention was developed and delivered by a team from the Cambridge Primary Review Trust (CPRT) and the University of York. Year 5 teachers in 38 schools, and a teacher mentor from each school, received resources and training from the delivery team, and then implemented the intervention over the course of the autumn and spring terms in the 2015/2016 school year. Following the intervention, pupils were tested in English, mathematics, and science.

Funder

EEF - Education Endowment Foundation

Document links

EEF - Dialogic Teaching Evaluation report and executive summary, July 2017