Introduction

The introductory chapter discussed the concept of dialogue and sketched the reasons for the strong (and growing) interest in the concept within educational circles. The chapter also summarized some of the numerous observational studies that have been published over the past 40 years, which describe the form that educational dialogue usually takes. As the studies were reviewed, it became apparent that many authors are uncomfortable with what they observed in classrooms, sensing that educational dialogue is typically less effective than it ought to be. When one study indicates that about 75 per cent of the discussion is usually off-task during group work amongst pupils (Galton et al. 1980) it is not difficult to share this pessimism. Nevertheless, recognizing that something is wrong is a far cry from knowing how to remedy it, and it is only recently that research has reached the point of providing the necessary guidance. The present section comprises four cutting-edge examples from this research.