1. Introduction to Learning and Instruction. SECTION I: LEARNING. 2. Learning to Read Fluently. 3. Learning to Read for Comprehension. 4. Learning to Write. 5. Learning Mathematics. 6. Learning Science. SECTION II: INSTRUCTION. 7. Teaching by Giving Productive Feedback. 8. Teaching by Providing Concreteness, Activity, and Familiarity. 9. Teaching by Explaining Examples. 10. Teaching by Guiding Cognitive Processes during Learning. 11. Teaching by Fostering Learning Strategies. 12. Teaching by Fostering Problem-Solving Strategies. 13. Teaching by Creating Cognitive Apprenticeship in Classrooms. 14. Teaching by Priming Students' Motivation to Learn. References. Author Index. Subject Index.

Learning and Instruction

The role of classroom discussions in comprehension and learning has been the focus of investigations since the early 1960s. Despite this long history, no syntheses have quantitatively reviewed the vast body of literature on classroom discussions for their effects on students’ comprehension and learning. This comprehensive meta-analysis of empirical studies was conducted to examine evidence of the effects of classroom discussion on measures of teacher and student talk and on individual student comprehension and critical-thinking and reasoning outcomes. Results revealed that several discussion approaches produced strong increases in the amount of student talk and concomitant reductions in teacher talk, as well as substantial improvements in text comprehension. Few approaches to discussion were effective at increasing students’ literal or inferential comprehension and critical thinking and reasoning. Effects were moderated by study design, the nature of the outcome measure, and student academic ability. While the range of ages of participants in the reviewed studies was large, a majority of studies were conducted with students in 4th through 6th grades. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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Examining the Effects of Classroom Discussion on Students' Comprehension of Text: A Meta-Analysis

Dialogue, as a communication form characterized by its commitment to inclusiveness and rationality, has long been advocated by educators as a mechanism for helping students become better thinkers. Unfortunately, numerous claims about the educational potential of participating in dialogue have not resulted in substantial changes in classroom practices. Studies have consistently shown that in today's schools the dominant discourse remains largely monologic. In this article, we present a testable theory of change that suggests how sociocultural processes in a dialogic classroom influence students’ development. We identify and discuss three learning outcomes of dialogic teaching, including epistemological understanding, argument skills, and disciplinary knowledge. We then critically review empirical research related to the proposed theory, highlighting unsolved questions, inconsistencies, and directions for future studies. Finally, we focus on the implications of the proposed integrated theory and reviewed re...

Student Thought and Classroom Language: Examining the Mechanisms of Change in Dialogic Teaching

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Developing a coding scheme for analysing classroom dialogue across educational contexts

Dialogic teaching - a pedagogical approach that involves students in a collaborative construction of meaning and is characterized by shared control over the key aspects of classroom discourse - has been largely advocated by contemporary research and theory. However, studies in the US and UK continue to document the persistence of monologic instruction in today's classrooms. This paper reviews empirically-supported features of dialogic teaching and relates them to relevant theoretical models. It describes the Dialogic Inquiry Tool (DIT), an observational rating scale designed to engage elementary school teachers in a systematic and deliberate examination of their interactions during group discussions of assigned readings. The paper uses excerpts of classroom discussions to demonstrate the use of the DIT and to discuss its potential for informing teacher practice and encouraging reflection on the relationship between language and pedagogy.

Dialogic Teaching: Rethinking Language Use During Literature Discussions

http://quality-talk.org/pdf/Soter_et_al_2008.pdf

Kristin Reninger

Papers

What the Discourse Tells Us: Talk and Indicators of High-Level Comprehension.

Using Discussions to Promote Striving Readers' Higher Level Comprehension of Literary Texts

Intermediate-level, lower-achieving readers' participation in and high-level thinking during group discussions about literary texts

Corrigendum to “What the discourse tells us: Talk and indicators of high-level comprehension” [Int. J. Educ. Res. 47 (2008) 372–391]