Feasts of Becoming: Imagining a Literacy Classroom Based on Dialogic Beliefs

Abstract

Bakhtin's language theories give educators a view into how people develop and communicate with language through dialogue. These conceptions can be applied to teaching in a variety of positive ways. The authors explore how teaching based on Bakhtinian concepts might function in the classroom, paying particular attention to the concepts of dialogue, heteroglossia, carnival, and hybridity. Although they do not provide a specific model, they refer to five pedagogical practices that might take place: Raising questions and authoring responses by and among all participants Embracing the importance of context and the non‐neutrality of language Encouraging multiples perspectives Flattening or creating disturbance within existing hierarchies Agreeing that learning is under construction and evolving rather than reified and static The authors argue that a dialogic classroom is one where language is central to a meaning‐making process that, in turn, informs us about language. By opening up dialogue within classroom contexts by reference to Bakhtinian theories, the authors see opportunities for increased student engagement, more voices within classrooms, and more invigorating academic activities.

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