1st Edition

Dialogic Readers Children talking and thinking together about visual texts

By Fiona Maine Copyright 2015
    146 Pages
    by Routledge

    146 Pages
    by Routledge

    Dialogic Readers: Children talking and thinking together about visual texts celebrates the sophisticated and dynamic discussions that primary-aged children can have as they talk together to make meaning from a variety of texts, and it highlights the potential for talk between readers as a tool for critical and creative thinking. It proposes a new dialogic theory of reading comprehension that incorporates multi-modal media and adds further weight to the argument that talk as a tool for learning should form a central part of primary classroom learning and teaching.

    The book explores:

    • the language of co-construction

    • children’s critical and creative responses to text

    • the dialogic transaction between text and readers

    • the use of language as a tool for creating a social cohesion between readers.

    This significant work is aimed at educational lecturers, researchers and students who want to explore an expanded notion of reading comprehension in the twenty-first century, realizing how opportunities for children thinking creatively together might transform the potential for learning in the classroom. It provides a framework for analyzing co-constructive talk with suggestions for promoting children’s critical and creative thinking.

     1 Introduction  2 Making meaning together and from text  3 Talking together: the language of co-construction  4 Thinking together: responding critically and creatively  5. Reading together: exploring strategies for making meaning  6. Reflecting together: the importance of self-monitoring and meta-cognition  7 Learning together: social cohesion as the foundation for co-constructive talk  8 From research into practice.  List of references  Index

    Biography

    Fiona Maine is a lecturer in literacy education at the University of Cambridge with many years of experience working with teachers as they develop their own practice. Prior to her teacher educator roles, she worked as a primary classroom teacher.

    ' A thought-provoking read for those involved in primary education in considering the importance of opportunities for children to explore visual texts and the enhanced meaning that can come from dialogic discussion around them.' - UKLA Newsletter, Autumn 2015

    'It's a fascinating look at how opportunities for children thinking creatively together might transform the potential for learning in the classroom. A very interesting approach which offers a good deal of food for thought and could lead to a different approach across the curriculum.'- Sarah Brew, Parents in Touch

    "The book promotes values for future generations. It teaches how to dialogue and respect different ideas, hypotheses, and opinions. It promotes conflict resolution and teaches how to listen and how to reach the right to be heard in freedom." -Lirio Flores Moncada, International Journal of Educational Psychology