This commentary discusses the four papers that comprise the special issue on dialogic teaching and learning, while making general observations that apply across the field as a whole. Similarities and differences are identified over the concepts of "dialogue" and "dialogic pedagogy". The possibility is raised that some aspects…

This paper highlights the significance of teacher identity to debates about the disconnect between digital literacies within and beyond school by exploring pre-service teachers' perspectives on digital literacy practices in their personal and professional lives. It uses aspects of Giddens' work on self-identity to frame an analysis that suggests…

Teachers in complementary schools are often assumed to be using outmoded teaching strategies and an authoritarian approach to discipline. However, it is rare for mainstream teachers to have visited these community-run after-school or weekend classes, which remain on the margins of educational provision. This paper argues that complementary…

This paper is concerned with the intersection of discourse, pedagogy and gender identification in primary school classrooms. More specifically, it uses illustrative findings from a larger study to examine boys' and girls' discourses in learning and friendship groups in the classrooms of two demographically similar but pedagogically different…

This article presents a theoretical consideration of the nature of classroom talk. It argues that traditional methods of instruction do not provide the conditions necessary to encourage pupils to think critically, and that a major reason for this is inappropriate discourse in schools. (JL)

Traces the roots of two dominant educational philosophies and examines the place that language teaching occupies within them, relating this to the methodologies employed within these contexts. Argues that the opposing views have a limited view on language teaching. (Author/VWL)

I draw attention to the distinction between reductionist views of "language" and the rich and complex ways in which we might approach language as social practice and suggest the latter view is evident in the set of papers collected here. Socially oriented linguists, including those in New Literacy Studies (NLS), look beyond reductionism, to…

States that educators should be concerned to involve all students in collaborative talk about tasks that are student-owned and inquiry-oriented and which integrate talking with thinking, doing, reading, and writing to engage with topics and texts that both students and teachers find meaningful and significant. (MG)

The development of reason has long been an important aim for education. This is possibly reflected in the emphasis on the importance of explicit verbal reasoning in definitions of "Exploratory Talk", a concept that has had some influence on classroom teaching. In this paper I argue from transcript evidence that, while Exploratory Talk is a…

Concerns about differences and inequalities in girls' and boys' spoken language and interactional styles have prompted the development of alternative classroom strategies, which are reviewed. Three broad approaches are discussed--antisexist, liberal, and profemale--each suggesting different strategies for positive action. (27 references)…

Outlines writing theories proposed by researchers that have contributed to current second language teaching and learning classroom methodologies. Drawing on the insights gained from these theories, one English-as-a-Foreign-Language freshman composition classroom learning experience in doing practical research with first language Arabic nonnative…

Literacy has always been a contested site in primary phase teaching. Internationally, there is a trend towards increased direct government intervention in areas of pedagogy, as well as curriculum. Recently in the UK, national initiatives, designed to raise standards of literacy among the 11-14 age group, have required English teachers to adapt…

It is argued that reading aloud to children in school is an important vehicle for developing a child's feelings and their correlative values. In response to possible charges of indoctrination, the author draws a parallel between first-language learning and the learning of a repertoire of feeling. (seven references) (Author/LB)

Describes and evaluates an undergraduate course in reading and writing across the curriculum at a university in Singapore, whose agenda was shaped by discourses on critical pedagogy and critical language awareness. Discusses the benefits and and limitations of a critical reading and writing program. (Author/VWL)

The writer argues that there are significant gaps in the way in which academic literacy theory has been conceptualized in the South African context. Although there has been much research about the transition from school to university, school literacy has tended to be presented as self-evident and the implications of students studying in an…