The dialogic highway

The significance of dialogue in education is not novel. Dialogic approaches encourage learners to reason, discuss, argue and explain and through this process develop higher order thinking skills (Major et al., 2018). This approach also exposes learners to the ideas and viewpoints of others, providing different perspectives with which to build on their own understanding. Opportunities for students to see they are part of something bigger than them is important in the age of globalisation. Prioritising dialogic discussion amongst students through the implementation of synchronous collaboration tools is one which could transform learners’ experiences.

The challenge is whether a teacher believes that learning is social and happens through interactions with others. If dialogic teaching and learning is not already part of (or is intending to be part of) a teacher’s pedagogical beliefs and practices then the implementation of this emerging technology will either not eventuate or fail in any attempts. There has to be alignment between the teacher’s pedagogical practices and the technology to be used. This leads to other challenges which this emerging technology exposes too. The role of the teacher changes in these online spaces (Wenmoth, 2021). Teachers become more of a facilitator and designer of effective learning activities (Douglas, 2023). However, for many teachers this means trusting students to learn with each other; you, the teacher being there as a guide when needed. It also means that for synchronous online platforms to be effective, students need to be comfortable with collaborative learning experiences.

Implementing synchronous online video platforms into classroom programmes to promote dialogic discussion supports the enactment of culturally responsive practice in many ways. When we use dialogic approaches we position students as co-inquirers (Hargraves, 2022). Shifting the focus from the individual to the group immediately emphasises the value of all voices. We can create vibrant learning environments when we enable learners to connect in shared endeavours of knowledge-building (Hargraves, 2022).

Culturally respsonsive practice places emphasis on the reciprocal nature of teaching and learning and the co-construction of knowledge and meaning (Ministry of Education, 2008). The use of synchronous online video platforms to promote dialogic discussion will see the concept of ako in action; teachers and students learning with and from other teachers and students. Ako “involves active and interactive dialogic relationships focused on collaborative knowledge creation rather than transmission”  (Hargraves, 2022, p.4). An important principle of dialogic teaching is that it is reciprocal. Participants, including teachers, learn to listen to each other, share ideas and consider alternative viewpoints. Dialogic approaches challenge the “traditional top-down model of transmission teaching” (Berryman et al.,2018, p.3). 

This could be the biggest challenge for change.

Berryman, M., Lawrence, D., & Lamont, R. (2018). Cultural relationships for responsive pedagogy. SET: Research information for teachers, 1, 3-10.

Douglas S. (2023). Achieving online dialogic learning using breakout rooms. Research in Learning Technology, 31. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v31.2882 

Hargraves, V.(2022). Seven principles to effectively support Māori students as Māori. Retrieved from: https://theeducationhub.org.nz/seven-principles-to-effectively-support-maori-students-as-maori/#_edn15 

Major, L., Warwick, P., Rasmussen, I. et al. Classroom dialogue and digital technologies: A scoping review. Educ Inf Technol 23, 1995–2028 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9701-y

Ministry of Education. (2016). Teaching digital fluency. Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Teaching/Digital-fluency

Wenmoth, D. (2021). Evidence Review: Digital technologies in education during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/digital-technologies-in-education-during-the-covid-19-pandemic