Abstract

Dialogue is inherently tied to learning, but as a secondary English Language Arts (ELA) classroom teacher it can be difficult to facilitate classroom dialogue that provides authentic learning opportunities for every student. I wanted to learn more about the student experience, so I implemented an action research study to increase my understanding of how students learn through dialogue. My research question was: How does collaborative languaging, to facilitate student-teacher interaction, lead to improved classroom mediation, authentic learning, dialogue, and development? I conducted transformative action research in my classroom, focusing on students enrolled in my general English 10 classes. In an effort to learn more about the student experience with dialogical learning, I asked students to create a series of imagistic models to describe their learning experience with dialogue throughout a school semester. We then languaged about their models, collaborating together to find meaning. I found that imagistic models are an effective mediational tool for collaborative languaging. This process allowed me to enter into a mutual Zone of Proximal Development experience with students where we can both experience meaning making synchronously. Findings and implications include that authentic dialogues between teacher and students requires trust and time to develop, as languaging interactions carry individual complexities and histories. Furthermore, my experience and conclusions suggest that providing students more opportunities for collaborative dialogue can increase authentic learning in the classroom.

Degree

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Teacher Education

Rights

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