ABSTRACT
The shift from traditional classroom discourse to a more dialogic discourse has been of interest to many teachers and researchers over the years. Hands-Down Conversations build on these educators’ work to deepen the level of classroom talk. The Hands-Down Conversation structure intentionally de-emphasizes the teachers’ voice in order to focus on developing the roles of teacher as listener and of students as meaning-makers. In traditional classroom discourse, the purpose of conversation is to perform existing knowledge rather than to construct understanding through the conversation. Understanding schools as part of a society that historically and currently devalues and dehumanizes the lives and experiences of people of color, poor people, women, and students with disabilities is difficult. Most central to the belief system of a Hands-Down Conversation community is the conviction that all students are competent thinkers with valuable experiences and ideas to draw upon.
