Dialogic Instruction: Teachers Can Have Their Cake, and Eat It, Too

Authors

Rebecca L. Lee, Michigan State UniversityFollow

Author Biographies

Rebecca Lee is a former high school English teacher and reading specialist and current doctoral student at Michigan State University. Her research focuses broadly on how teachers navigate and transform restrictive spaces and specifically on how they leverage classroom talk to foster literacy learning as well as equitable learning experiences.

Abstract

Dialogic instruction is a talk-intensive approach to learning and teaching that is student-centered and discussion-based, promoting collaboration and academically productive conversations. Recently, educators across the country have increased the amount of time spent preparing students for standardized assessments, which often reduces teaching and learning to test preparation. While this tension suggests that teachers must choose between good teaching or good test scores, dialogic instruction is a promising practice that can enhance students’ reading comprehension outcomes while centering student choice and valuing student voice. Research shows dialogic instruction is most effective when teachers a) co-create a conducive classroom climate, b) incorporate learning heuristics, and c) adopt talk moves. This paper provides a brief description of the research behind each of these practices and offers suggestions for practitioners interested in adopting them.

Recommended Citation

Lee, Rebecca L. (2025) "Dialogic Instruction: Teachers Can Have Their Cake, and Eat It, Too," Language Arts Journal of Michigan: Vol. 39: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.2441

Publication Date

8-2025