Perceived impact of educational dialogue on transversal skills: analysis of a teacher's and researchers' online forum

Educators today face challenging circumstances globally, with highly demanding and sometimes contradictory expectations. They seek to support learners to navigate challenges of an increasingly uncertain global era (Aly et al., 2022), while also needing to respond to the tightened pedagogical expectations from education systems (Sahlberg, 2023). These pressures may result in teachers narrowing what and how they teach – focusing on ’core’ subject content and avoiding pedagogical risk-taking and innovation (Sahlberg, 2023). Yet there is also a growing emphasis on fostering transversal competencies such as critical thinking, problem- solving, communication, creativity, and teamwork (World Economic Forum, 2015). The time and effort required to develop these competencies may conflict with educators’ needs to meet subject-specific goals. In this complex landscape, we ask how teachers manage these professional pressures. What pedagogical approaches do they consider viable to equip students with the necessary knowledge and abilities to live and work in potentially unstable contexts? This article seeks to address these questions by exploring the role of educational dialogue in the development of learners’ transversal skills. Drawing upon the perspectives of an international group of practitioners and scholars, this study captures insights shared and elaborated through a forum facilitated within a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) (Brugha et al., 2024). It explores the following research question: What benefits do teachers identify as outcomes from dialogic practices, with reference to the development of transversal skills? The literature highlights significant benefits of dialogic practices, but with limited research on the ways in which educators perceive and prioritise them. The specific contribution of this article lies in analysing the perceptions of educators and scholars regarding the benefits of dialogic practices related to transversal competencies. The study suggests that the perceived value of educational dialogue extends beyond the development of individual skills, fostering a more holistic growth that encompasses broader personal and relational dimensions.