ABSTRACT
Dialogic exchange is literature classroom talk that is conversational and explorative. Two constructs are important when describing excellent literature discussion: dialogic exchange and permeable textual discussion. In dialogic exchange, students ask deep questions of text, build on each other's responses, and become co-teachers to each other. In dialogic discussion, a teacher facilitates classroom talk to maintain an order and structure but does not dominate textual talk. Language arts teachers enacting Reader Response instructional practices in their classrooms look for ways students can actively interpret texts in ways other than discussion. Teaching practices might include student journaling while reading and peer editing groups in which student authors explain their writing choices. Research has shown that students in Reader Response-based classrooms read more and make richer personal connections with texts than students using more traditional methods. Students in Reader Response classrooms tend to be more tolerant of multiple interpretations of texts, a necessary skill in the pluralistic society in which we live.
