Why a focus on discourse in the classroom?
While it may seem intuitive to focus on activities for students, recent scholarship has emphasized that meaningful learning is primarily a product not of material activity, but of sense-making discourse aimed at developing conceptual understanding and the links between theory and observable phenomena (Mortimer & Scott, 2003). "Sense making and scaffolded discussion, calling for particular forms of talk, are seen as the primary mechanism for promoting deep understanding of complex concepts and robust reasoning” (Michaels, O'Conor & Resnick, 2008, p. 284).
Dialogue in conjunction with material activity also engages learners in the canonical practices of science—that is, “to formulate questions about phenomena that interest [students], to build and critique theories, to collect, analyze and interpret data, to evaluate hypotheses through experimentation, observation, measurement, and to communicate findings” (Rosebery, Warren & Conant, 1992, p. 65). These forms of discourse are rare, even in the classrooms of experienced teachers (Banilower, Smith, Weiss, and Pasley, 2006; Horizon Research International, 2003; Roth & Garnier, 2007; Weiss, Banilower, McMahon, & Smith, 2001).
For the beginning teacher, there are principles of classroom discourse that can be studied, practiced, and refined.
The accomplished teacher engages students in three special discourses.
- Eliciting hypotheses and ideas to adapt instruction
- Making sense of material activity
- Pressing kids for evidence-based explanations
Before exploring these specialized conversations, you will want to understand the basics of classroom discourse. For that, select the Discourse Primer in the left hand menu. This will download a pdf for printing. The Primer has been an invaluable tool for helping teachers "see" different kinds of talk in classrooms and how these conversations can provide opportunties for or constrain learning.
To locate tools that will help you engage in one of the three specialized discourses, choose one of the three from the “Discourse tools” menu on the left.
