Talking while Watching: The Magic of Dialogic Media Viewing
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Ever found yourself doing funny voices while reading a bedtime story and wondered, "Am I a narrator or a one-person theater troupe?" Theatrical flair and impromptu discussions aren't just for books. They're a secret weapon in the digital age, turning video watching and game playing into brain-boosting adventures.
Dialogic reading is where you jazz up storytime with questions, predictions, and those oh-so-scary monster voices. It’s more than fun; it’s a research-backed powerhouse for developing your child’s language and critical thinking skills. Now, let's take that concept off the page and onto the screen with 'Dialogic Media Viewing'. Yes, it’s a thing, and it’s about to make screen time a whole lot smarter (and more fun!).
Passive → Active
Dialogic reading is like a turbo boost for young brains. It's all about turning passive listening into active engagement. Studies based on the foundational work of Whitehurst in the 1980s show kids engaged in this interactive reading leap forward in language skills (link). This magic formula provides a foundation for continuing conversations with videos and video games, too.
When watching a video, don't just hit play and zone out. Be the director of your own interactive movie experience. (Are you really surprised that given my history, I’d be talking about how to make video interactive?) Pause at those cliffhanger moments and ask, "What do you think will happen next?" (Timing is key – don’t pause right when the action peaks, or you might just be crowned the 'Most Annoying Co-watcher of the Year'!). Use this time to chat about the content, connect it to real-life experiences, and get those little gears turning in their heads.
Research shows that conversation drops while watching screens (see this recent NY Times article, for example). Screen time isn’t going away, so finding methods to make it more productive is key.
Putting Dialogic Viewing into Practice
Give it a try yourself:
1. Pre-Viewing Prep: Choose an age-appropriate video on a social media platform or streaming platform. Before playing, show the video description and/or title screen, and ask, "What do you think this is about?"
2. Active Viewing: Pause (strategically!) to ask questions and discuss predictions. "Why did that happen?" or "What would you do?"
3. Post-Viewing Chat: Discuss the video. "What did you learn?" or "How would you explain this to a friend?"
Tips for Success
Use the CROWD technique, a cornerstone of dialogic reading, to inspire a wide range of questions.
Completion: Asking your child to finish a sentence or guess the next word.
Recall: Encouraging them to remember and talk about what they've watched.
Open-ended: Inviting them to describe scenes or characters in their own words.
W-questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why - these questions help expand their understanding and vocabulary.
Distancing: Connecting the content to their own experiences, fostering deeper understanding and empathy.
Short sessions work best. Match your child's attention span to avoid the dreaded "Are we done yet?"
Be genuinely curious. Kids can smell fake interest from a mile away.
Go connect!
Dialogic media viewing is not just about making screen time educational; it's about seizing those everyday moments to bond, learn, and laugh (a lot!) with your kids. So, next time you’re about to press play, remember: it's not just a video, it's an opportunity to spark curiosity and learning. And who knows? You might just have as much fun as they do!
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