Exploring dialogic pedagogy in primary literacy classrooms with SFL: An educational linguistics perspective
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Interest in classroom talk has a long history. Its role in education has attracted the attention of successive generations of researchers. Educational linguists working in systemic functional traditions have investigated and described the nature and quality of educational talk in considerable detail using a variety of useful analytical tools. However, despite the richness and variety of work in the field of classroom talk, the interaction patterns through which learning takes place are largely overlooked in policy and curriculum efforts to improve students’ literacy outcomes. This chapter builds on work at the intersection of educational linguistics and dialogic pedagogy. It reports on collaborative research to enhance the quality of talk in three Australian classrooms arguing that close attention to the dialogue of the classroom as lessons unfold can make visible the patterns of language choices that support learning. Once visible, these choices are available to be shared and negotiated with students. The chapter also points to the importance of teachers’ pedagogic design in fostering the productive use of classroom talk.
Keywords
classroom talk, dialogic pedagogy, exchange structure, literacy, speech function, systemic functional linguistics
Document Type
Book Chapter
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Publication Title
The Dialogic Classroom: International Research on Pedagogy, Practice and Change
Publisher
Springer
School
School of Education
ISBN
[9789819554607, 9789819554614]
Copyright
subscription content
Content Type
Metadata only
First Page
145
Last Page
168
Recommended Citation
Thwaite, A., Simpson, A., & Jones, P. (2026). Exploring dialogic pedagogy in primary literacy classrooms with SFL: An educational linguistics perspective. In C. Edwards-Groves & C. Davidson (Eds.), The dialogic classroom: International research on pedagogy, practice and change (pp. 145-168). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-5461-4_8