Dig deeper: utilizing dialogic teaching to help contemporary students engage with historical literature
Date
2015-01-05
Authors
Helfrich, Kendra
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Abstract
This project investigates how dialogic teaching can be used to help contemporary middle years' students more effectively engage with historical literature. Dialogic classrooms are spaces where discussion is valued as an instructional tool to help students develop deeper understandings through the co-creation of knowledge by all participants. In this project I review the current research, and provide a detailed explanation of the six key characteristics of a dialogic classroom: questioning, exploratory talk and interthinking, co-construction of knowledge, uptake, valuing silence, and student accountability. Additionally, this project contains an instructional unit for Grade 8 English Language Arts entitled Perspectives. This unit is designed to teach students the fundamental dialogic discussion skills they will need to actually participate in a dialogic classroom as well as to provide them with numerous opportunities to engage in dialogic learning. Finally, the reflection section examines my personal and professional journey through graduate studies that has lead to the creation of this project and explains the theoretical basis for my unit.
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Keywords
ELA, book clubs, dialogic, middle years