In quest for a dialogic space: A microethnographic approach to classroom interaction about writing

Abstract

This article offers insight into dialogic spaces in a professional development program, aiming to improve writing at Australian elementary schools. We apply an ethnomethodological case study through the lens of reflexivity theory to explore dialogic interaction in a year 3 writing lesson. We demonstrate how various contextual conditions are negotiated by teacher and students during the teaching of writing and how contextual conditions during a professional development program create opportunities for dialogic classroom interaction. Findings reveal that classroom interaction is guided by a series of structural conditions (including the writing task description, set expectations, and the constraint of time), cultural conditions (norms of classroom management, and the teacher's collaboration with the research team), and personal conditions (teaching strategies, student interest and ideas, and student writing skills). Furthermore, it shows how the participant teacher orchestrates various competing conditions through dialogic and monologic turns. Implications of the findings are discussed to improve teacher professional learning and students' learning experiences of writing.