What is the “Dialogical Method” of Teaching? Explain Advantages and Disadvantages of Dialogue Method of Teaching B.ED Notes

Back to: Pedagogy of English- Unit 5

The Dialogical Method of Teaching refers to the dominant usage of effective talking used to complete the teaching and learning process. It involves ongoing interaction between the teacher and the students rather than being limited to teacher and presentation. Teachers can connect with students more effectively every day by using dialogue and to get to understand their level of knowledge, and perspectives, become aware of their developing ideas, and enable them to overcome their doubts and confusion. Through dialogue, students are allowed to explore the limits of their understanding and they can also contribute to classroom dialogue in a wide variety of ways. While doing the same, they can also come into acquaintance with new ways of using language as a knowledge construction tool.

Through the use of dialogue, teachers can engage students in the following ways:

1. It can help teachers in explaining ideas more clearly.
2. It allows the teacher to clarify the main purpose and point of activities.
3. It allows the teacher to discover and implement innovative and scientific ways of using language.
4. It also enables students to become aware of new scientific ways of describing phenomena.

Buber highlighted three major components of dialogue which include:

1. “an awareness that others are unique and whole persons, encouraging a turning toward the other and imagining the reality of the other;
2. b. a genuineness or authenticity that does not mandate full disclosure, but suggests that dialogic partners are not pretending and are not holding back what needs to be said; and
3. respect for the other that inclines one not to impose but to help the reality and possibility of the other unfold” (Anderson et al., 1994, p. 196). 

Advantages of the Dialogical Method of Teaching

The advantages of the dialogical method of teaching include the following:

1. Sparks Interest In Learners: The dialogue method arouses interest in the learners for learning as they can share their thoughts and ideas without any obstruction.
2. Encourage Reflection: The dialogue method also encourages self-reflection and self-introspection among students. It also promotes the analysis of course content.
3. Deepens Understanding: Students are allowed to exchange their perspectives openly in this method due to which the knowledge of the students broadens and deepens.
4. Inclusive Atmosphere: This method also encourages maximum participation of the learners which fosters an inclusive learning environment in the classroom.
5. Increases Engagement: Since the students can interact with their teachers more in this method, it increases and improves the engagement in the teaching-learning process making it more effective.

Disadvantages of the Dialogical Method of Teaching

The disadvantages of the dialogical method of teaching include the following:

1. Students can get disruptive: In this method, the teacher must control and manage the learner properly, or else they may get disruptive.
2. Occurrence of Diversion: Due to the increase in interaction, teachers may get distracted and their attention may stray off from the topic.
3. Noisy Atmosphere: Since dialogue encourages talking, students can get loud and create a noisy atmosphere in the classroom.

In the dialogue method, the teacher and students convert learning into a collaborative process so that the environment can be more stimulating and learners can learn with more efficiency. It mainly relies on the task of talking involving both the students as well as the teacher.