The Theory and Practice of Group Discussion with Quality Talk

This book explores the application of a significant discussion approach, Quality Talk, to English learning in Taiwanese college classrooms. Quality Talk has been found to successfully enhance students' reading comprehension and higher-level thinking in American contexts. It offers an introduction to Quality Talk and demonstrates how it can be implemented in college level English classes. It addresses students’ three levels of English proficiency: elementary, intermediate, and advanced. The respective chapters discuss a range of aspects: students' language proficiency levels, students' own viewpoints on the discussion approach, students' academic backgrounds, teaching materials, and culture-based learning. Readers will gain valuable insights into the Quality Talk approach and how it can be implemented in the classroom.

Chapter 1 From Theoretical Roots to Empirical Outcomes: Setting the Foundation for Quality Talk in Taiwan.- Chapter 2 “Some Questions Are Sophisticated, so I Have to Answer Them in Sophisticated English”: On Quality Talk in Low-Achieving EFL Classes.- Chapter 3 Understanding the Practice of Quality Talk in an English L2 Class Through Exploratory Practice.- Chapter 4 The Influence of Students’ Academic Disciplines on the Use of Questions in Text-Based Group Discussion.- Chapter 5 The Effects of Text and Leadership on the Choice of Question Types in Quality.- Chapter 6 Understanding the Practice of Quality Talk in an English L2 Class Through Exploratory Practice.- Chapter 7 Quality Talk and Content Learning: An Exploration of Students' Background Schemata and Thematic Discussions.- Chapter 8 English-as-a-Foreign Language Learning for Communication Purposes and Enhancement of Critical-Thinking Skills: The Quality Talk Approach.

Mei-Lan Lo is an Associate Professor at the Department of English, National Taiwan Normal University. She served as Director of the Foreign Language Education Division, Common Core Education Committee at theNational Taiwan Normal University from February 2018 to July 2019, and August 2020 to January 2021. Her research interests include bilingual education, teacher professional development, reading and writing instruction, and English as a medium of instruction.