Exploring the collective process of classroom dialogue using sequential pattern mining technique

Classroom dialogue is a widely used method for teaching and teacher's skills in managing dialogue matters closely to the productiveness of lessons. This study explores the sequential patterns of classroom dialogue and reveals how contributions are built collectively. There were commonalities in the dialogic sequences of the three subjects although they maintained their own characteristics. Talk concerning previously learnt knowledge and analysis tended to be initiations or follow-ups of other kinds of dialogue in the three subjects. Prominent long sequences in science lessons revealed high levels of cognition, which tended to start from elaboration, then triggered comparison and a summary of content, and finally gave rise to discussion about how to apply knowledge to solve novel problems.