The Dialogic Pedagogy in Primary and Secondary Native Language Classroom

贺小茜

【Abstract】Classrooms are one of the most crowded human environments and class talk happens in every class， so how to effectively organize classroom dialogue for learning is profoundly important （Cazden， 2001）. This article presents key elements of the dialogic pedagogy in primary and secondary native language classrooms.

【Key words】The Dialogic Pedagogy; Primary and Secondary Native Language

1. The Definition of Dialogic Pedagogy

The term “dialogic pedagogy” is used frequently in education， but it is still interpreted in multiple ways. Theoretically， dialogue is a complex concept， originally from the Socratic question and the view of Bakhtin （1986） and Freire （2000） serve as the foundation of the dialogic teaching. Many academicians demonstrate that dialogic pedagogy is to use the tool of language to carry out instruction practices and stimulate students thinking （Alexander， 2000; Cazden， 2001）.

However， in recent years， verbal communication in classrooms is primarily teacher delivery and a silencing of students has become common， as instructional practices mainly design to train students to get high scores on standardized tests. Fortunately， the importance of student-centered instruction and dialogic pedagogy are currently being valued more， but it is still a challenging task for educators and policymakers to implement qualified dialogic pedagogy strategies in the native language classroom. I generated three themes that play dominant roles in dialogic pedagogy， namely： （a） dialogic instruction （b） classroom atmosphere （c） student participation.

2. Dialogic instruction

Conversations happen in every classroom， but much of classroom talk is influenced by the Initiation， student Response and teacher Evaluation （IRE） model which cannot be regarded as qualified dialogic instruction （Chappell， 2014）. They classified three main kinds of dialogic instruction： authentic questions， questions with uptake and open discussion （Alexander， 2017）.

“Authentic questions” are questions designed by teachers without implied or predetermined answers， encouraging reasoning and speculation. Authentic questions are the opposite of the normal common “test question” or “display question” （Cazden， 2001， p.43-46）. Questions with prescribed answers which are the symbol of the IRF traditional model aim to test students knowledge rather than develop their critical thinking. Jimenez and Gersten （1999） pointed out “the wait time” which is the silence before students answering may and suggested keeping “the wait time” in a reasonable range since some students would fail to respond after a long time of silence.