Talking About Learning Online: Creating the Context for Kairos

Abstract

This Design-Based Research (DBR) paper explores increasing dialogic engagement to encourage the realisation of student voice in an online Introduction to Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) course for 8th grade (13-14 years old) students in California, USA. Engagement in online learning has been an area of research focus for decades, and COVID-19 brought the subject into the mainstream. While previous research has defined and measured online engagement in various ways, this study uses a DBR approach to define dialogic engagement in terms of online education. This project aims to support the development of students’ thinking skills using a dialogic approach to teaching and explores conditions that encourage the realisation of student voice. This iterative DBR approach uses multiple data sources to explore the online learning environment, comprised of 24 students, over the course of a full academic year. Data sources include 34 observations of live and asynchronous online learning labs, 30 student interviews, formative assessment of student assignments and reflection sessions with the participating teacher. The research findings are presented in a framework called Talking About Learning Online (TALO) and present a series of design principles that bring together tenets of dialogic education, Marzano's new taxonomy (MNT) of thinking skills in relation to online education, and student voice. This framework is significant because it provides valuable insights into effective online pedagogy and practices and offers a holistic approach to enhancing students’ learning experiences in the online learning environment. The TALO framework provides suggestions for learning activities, resources, and materials, and outlines the role an educator can play to increase dialogic engagement in an online learning environment. The potential implications of this work include the expansion of dialogic theory as it relates to online education. Recommendations to increase dialogic engagement and opportune moments for learning are explored as kairos, synthesising and providing insight into learning moments. The findings of this research may apply to any online educator embracing a dialogic model of education and aims to support them to help students realise their voices and engage with dialogic communities in the classroom and the wider world.