Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · 25d

Looking forward to connecting with teachers & colleagues today at this conference. ‪@iancushing.bsky.social‬ and I will be imagining futures of linguistic justice (tho I’ll be the Debby Downer talking about deficit perspectives first…)

UKLA @uklitassociation.bsky.social · 29d

We can't wait for the UKLA/NEU Conference this weekend, and you still have time to get a ticket! With fantastic keynotes and a series of enlightening workshops, the event will no doubt be the best thing you can do for £10 this weekend. Tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/literacy-i...

1 1

Reposted by Julia Snell

Voice 21 @voice21oracy.bsky.social · Jul 23

📣 2 years ago, Sir Keir Starmer pledged to embed #oracy in the curriculum. Today, a coalition of parliamentarians, education experts & schools are calling on him to deliver on that pledge.

Read the letter here: voice21.org/open-letter/

Open Letter to the Prime Minister - Voice 21

voice21.org

2 9 20

Reposted by Julia Snell

Voice 21 @voice21oracy.bsky.social · Jul 4

According to @snelljulia.bsky.social:

“Pupils who experience dialogic teaching and learning will develop their oral language skills, gain confidence and build relationships (by becoming more patient and attuned to others’ perspectives)."

Read full article here 👇
voice21.org/voice-21-lau...

1 1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 3

Thanks. Would love to hear your thoughts if you do!

1

Reposted by Julia Snell

Ian Cushing @iancushing.bsky.social · Jul 3

me and @snelljulia.bsky.social are doing a joint keynote at this UKLA/NEU conference, talking about futures of linguistic justice and designing linguistically just schools 💜

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/literacy-i...

Literacy in Primary Classrooms Conference

Join the NEU and UKLA for our Literacy in Primary Classrooms Conference!

www.eventbrite.co.uk

7 19

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

@lahri.bsky.social
@universityofleeds.bsky.social

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

And thanks to @iancushing.bsky.social
for feedback on an early draft and for general encouragement, collegiality and inspiration!

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Thanks for reading, please do look at the full article, available open access here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10..... This research was supported by a @leverhulme.ac.uk Research Fellowship.

Using linguistic ethnography to uncover the mechanisms through which underprivileged students are denied access to classroom dialogue

This article opens up the ‘black box’ of classroom interaction to investigate why opportunities to participate in academically productive (or ‘dialogic’) classroom discussion may be more readily av...

www.tandfonline.com

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

It is crucial that we develop this approach in educational research and build an ethnographic evidence base that can challenge deficit thinking and better inform educational policy and decision making.

1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Linguistic ethnographic research is important in leading this change. It rejects universalizing assumptions about students and seeks to understand the complex and intricate ways in which local classroom practices connect with the wider institutional and sociopolitical order.

1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

However, ideologies & educational reforms do not influence classroom practice in a linear ‘top down’ way; there is negotiation in classrooms between bottom-up meaning making processes & broader institutional and socio-political processes, which opens up possibilities for change.

1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

These three mechanisms have relevance beyond the focal schools since they are underpinned by widespread beliefs/ideologies about underprivileged students and systemic pressures (e.g. frequent student testing, league tables) that influence classrooms internationally.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Yet, in peer-group conversations recorded on the margins of classroom activity, these students showed themselves to be mature and independent thinkers with a propensity for dialogue.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Student characteristics (e.g. laziness), behaviour (e.g. not listening), or (lack of) ability were invoked as reasons for their lack of understanding or missed learning opportunities, thus obscuring the need for institutional or systemic change.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Third, in line with neoliberal accountability logics, students at the Lower SES school were held responsible for education failures.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

The Lower SES school prioritised compliance and rote following of procedure over independent student thinking. The students were perceived to be immature, lacking in ability, and prone to disobedience; thus, their voices, bodies & behaviour were micromanaged.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Second, there were competing approaches to managing classroom roles, routines & relationships. Students in both schools were expected to show respect for the teacher, but boundaries between teacher and student were more clearly demarcated and enforced at the Lower SES school.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

At the Higher SES school, there was space for students to participate in classroom talk, but at the Lower SES school, student talk was actively discouraged and often met with reprimands and punishment, which had enduring effects on students.

1 2

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Close analysis of classroom interaction across both schools identified three mechanisms driving disparities in student participation. First, there were different assumptions about the purposes of classroom talk and how students should participate.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Prior research has attributed similar disparities to students’ social class backgrounds and perceived deficiencies in their communicative abilities. However, the article challenges this deficit thinking and demonstrates the need to attend instead to the classroom context.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Quantitative analysis revealed significant disparities in student talk time between the two participating schools, with students in the Higher Socioeconomic Status (SES) school contributing substantially more to whole-class discussions.

1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Drawing on linguistic ethnographic research in two socioeconomically differentiated primary schools, this article investigates why dialogic discussion is more readily available to some groups of students than others and how we can disrupt this problematic dynamic.

1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

The talk children encounter at school has consequences for their learning. Children who participate in ‘dialogic’ classroom discussions do better than their peers who have not had this experience. Yet, such talk is relatively rare in schools serving underprivileged students.

1 1

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

New research published in @languageeducation.bsky.social, available open access here (tinyurl.com/bdf262jp) and a short thread on the work below. Many thanks to the reviewers & editors for their feedback and to @leverhulme.ac.uk for funding support.

2 7 23

Julia Snell @snelljulia.bsky.social · Jul 2

Fantastic resource providing a series of ‘talking points’ to support schools on their oracy journeys. Happy to have contributed a piece on why dialogic classrooms are so important for learning. I’d love to here what you think 👇

Voice 21 @voice21oracy.bsky.social · Jul 1

🚨 Today we are releasing our annual journal, The Talking Point 🚨

Whether you’re a classroom teacher, a school leader, or someone involved in shaping school-wide strategy, we hope this journal offers valuable insights to support your oracy journey.

Read it here 👇

voice21.org/voice-21-lau...

1 2