Shifting the primary focus: assessing the case for dialogic education in secondary classrooms

Abstract

Dialogic theories and practices in education have grown over the last decade; in the United Kingdom, however, most research in the field has been carried out in primary schools. Six leading academic researchers in the field are interviewed to explore the reasons for this primary bias to date, and their perceptions of both the difficulties and the potential benefits of dialogic education in secondary schools. Primary schools are portrayed as having greater flexibility and a more holistic approach that is conducive to dialogue; secondary schools, as restricted by organisational, psychological and assessment pressures. These issues are seen as significant but not insurmountable; furthermore, a consensus emerges about the validity and necessity of dialogic approaches in secondary schools. Distinct affordances are suggested and explored. The case is then made for greater research and practice of dialogic secondary education: away from the study of individual subjects as unitary and segregated bodies of knowledge, and towards encouraging dialogues within and across academic subjects as a way of increasing students’ motivation, enriching their learning, and promoting more flexible thinking.