Dialogic readers: Using talk to collaboratively make-meaning from text

In this lecture, Professor Fiona Maine introduces the idea of ‘dialogic readers’ and how this applies to a 21st century concept of literacy as a social practice. She considers reading in the broadest sense, not just a ‘simple view’ that includes the skills of comprehension and decoding, but as a dynamic, meaning-making venture of making sense of text in all its forms. The lecture draws on Fiona’s research conducted over the past 20 years to investigate how young dialogic readers can collaboratively co-construct meaning, whilst also engaging in a dialogue with the texts they encounter. Importantly, ‘text’ is also considered broadly, extending far beyond the written word in visual, moving-image and mobile-gaming modes.  The importance of dialogue is foregrounded, moving from skills to dispositions as the case is made for dialogic readers to be critical and creative, responsive, collaborative and reflective. The lecture considers important questions: What underpinning values are implied in classrooms where a dialogic discourse is championed? How can we support young people to engage meaningfully with the ideas of each other as they negotiate differing perspectives and challenging ideas?

About the Speaker

Fiona Maine is Professor of Language and Literacy in Education at the University of Exeter. Her research broadly investigates the dialogic interactions of children as they make meaning together from visual, moving image and digital narratives, and it highlights the possibilities afforded by working with non-verbal and ambiguous texts in the classroom.  Fiona was the principal investigator for the EC Horizon 2020 project, DIALLS: DIalogue and Argumentation for cultural Literacy Learning in Schools (www.dialls2020.eu). She is the author of Dialogic Readers: Children talking and thinking together about text.

This lecture will be delivered in person on St Luke’s Campus (Lecture Theatre Baring Court 114) and streamed live online.

Please register via Eventbrite to reserve a place.