Introduction

In Part 2, the focus is on clarifying the forms of dialogue that support classroom learning in the curricular contexts of science, mathematics, literacy and philosophy. The chapters in this part of the book thus develop the consideration of the properties of productive educational dialogues that began in Part 1. As will be seen, the key message to emerge from this section concerns the need for pluralism in conceptions of productive educational dialogue: with analyses pointing to the need for contextually sensitive, situated accounts. In this respect the contributors to Part 2 also endorse the plea for sensitivity to plurality articulated by the authors in Part 1. In contrast to some linguistic studies of classroom discourse, where analyses and findings may be reported solely in terms of patterns of interaction, a central argument that emerges from the contributions in this section is that the actual content of what is being taught and what is being learned matters and is of significance and consequence.