Verbal and cognitive activities between and among students and faculty in clinical conferences

This study analyzes verbal and cognitive activities between and among stude nts and faculty during 30 post-conference sessions. Data indicate that facu lty used a student-centered model to structure conferences and encourage st udents' verbal participation (student dialogue 58% of total conference line s). Students assumed the teaching role surpassing teachers in use of all pe dagogical activities: lecturing (62%), soliciting (52%), responding (74%), and reacting (62%). Verbal interactions in conferences were described as li vely with cooperative student-faculty relationships. One-fourth of conferen ce discourse was spent in high cognitive levels with faculty employing high cognitive levels more often (27%) than their students (24%). Emphasis is p laced on the role of faculty to coach for cognition by carefully monitoring cognitive levels in discourse to encourage higher levels in thinking and e xtension of student thought.