Methodology and professional development: Conversation Analytic Role-play Method (CARM) for early childhood education

Abstract The aim of this paper is to illustrate how the Conversation Analytic Role-play Method (CARM) developed by Elizabeth Stokoe meets the professional learning needs of early childhood teachers. The methodology of conversation analysis offers unique insight into the systematic turns at talk that are essential for collaborative knowledge building, and so can be valuable in informing early childhood teacher practice. Early childhood teachers report that professional development is most useful when it is (a) applicable to everyday practice, and (b) delivered as active learning. In this paper, we show how teachers can engage with a turn-by-turn analysis of interaction to see how particular practices support children's learning, using a video-recorded example of teacher intervention in a dispute between four-year-old children. Rather than rely on hypothetical scenarios or role-play, workshop participants can discuss what actually happens in classrooms, how teachers could and do respond to children. CARM workshops with early childhood teachers stimulate reflection and discussions around strategies for co-constructing learning and responsive relationships with young children.