Abstract
Qualitative changes are being demanded in the approach to education in all institutions from elementary school and other forms of compulsory education to university and other forms of higher education. The traditional mode of education is changing into one that promotes thought and comprehension with an emphasis on dialogue. To enable independent dialogue, an important component may be to determine how to create opportunities in class for dialogue. In this study, we focused on reflection sheets completed after group work carried out in classes for students aiming to be teachers and used qualitative analysis to clarify the students’ learning elements. By doing so, we aimed to summarize the elements that promote dialogue, consider how teachers can create opportunities for dialogue while remaining involved, and discuss approaches to classes that promote dialogue.
Based on the results, we discussed elements and opportunities that promote dialogue and found the following three points to be important: (1) a polyphony; (2) a safe and reassuring common sense; and (3) teacher facilitation. Holding classes based on these three points may promote more independent dialogue.
