Pedagogy and dialogue

Abstract

This article reviews the existing literature on the relationship between dialogue and pedagogy, examining the concepts of dialogic instruction, dialogic enquiry and dialogic teaching. It submits these concepts to critical scrutiny and explores questions which remain to be resolved in the field. It is argued that a dialogic mode of engagement with learners has the potential to bring about a narrowing of the gap in educational outcomes. The structural conditions of schooling and current assessment policy are seen as constraints on the development of a dialogical pedagogy. The article identifies the affective conditions for learning created by different patterns of teacher–student interaction as a neglected line of enquiry, which future research could profitably pursue.