On Teaching and Learning

On Teaching and Learning takes the ideas explored in renowned educator Jane Vella’s best-selling book Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach to the next level and explores how dialogue education has been applied in educational settings around the world. Throughout the book, she shows how to put the principles and practices of dialogue education into action and uses illustrative stories and examples from her extensive travels. Dialogue education values inquiry, integrity, and commitment to equity—values that are also central to democracy. Learners are treated as beings worthy of respect, recognized for the knowledge and experience they bring to the learning experience. Dialogue education emphasizes the importance of safety and belonging. It is an approach that welcomes one’s certainties and one’s questions.

Foreword xi Preface xv Acknowledgments xxvii The Author xxix Introduction 1 Part One: Structured 9 1. Why Structure? 11 2. Learning Needs and Resources Assessment 19 3. The Seven Design Steps 31 Part Two: Social 51 4. The Learning Task in a Small Group 53 5. Individual Learning Enhanced 67 Part Three: Sound 81 6. Principles and Practices: Current State of the Art 83 7. Open Questions Invite Dialogue 111 8. The Designer’s Skill: Trust Your Design 117 Part Four: Sure 127 9. Indicators of Learning, Transfer, and Impact 129 10. Impact and the Seven Design Steps 137 Part Five: Synthesis: Putting It All Together 147 11. Putting It All Together: Examples of Dialogue Education Designs 149 12. An On-Line Course Using Dialogue Education 167 13. Dialogue Education in School Leadership 171 14. Dialogue Education in Health Care Settings 191 15. Dialogue Education in a College Classroom 205 Appendix A: Glossary of Terms Used in Dialogue Education 215 Appendix B: Tough Verbs for Learning Tasks 221 References 223 Index 227