ABSTRACT
The concept of ‘dialogic education’ typically revolves around the patterns of classroom dialogue that are believed to promote positive student outcomes. This chapter starts with a brief review of previous research, arguing that the evidence relating to group work amongst students is stronger than that relating to interactions involving teachers. It summarizes a recent study that focuses upon teacher–student dialogue while also obtaining data relating to group work. The consequences for student attainment of the dialogue that occurs during group work amongst students have been studied in genuine classroom settings and also in settings where students work out-of-class on curriculum-relevant tasks. The power of reasoned discussion during group work is so strong that it scarcely matters whether students resolve their differences while working together, let alone jointly reach target insights or solve problems correctly. The chapter concludes that although dialogue is relevant to attainment in both contexts, there may be variation over which patterns are critical.
