Introduction to the thematic collection “Promoting learning through classroom discourse”

Pedagogic and methodological approaches to teachers’ conversational practices

Abstract

This article introduces the thematic collection "Designing interactions in subject lessons to promote learning". Starting with a brief sketch of previous research on classroom discussions across various disciplines, the article identifies three central desiderata: the need for subject-specific approaches to the quality of classroom discourse, the acknowledgement of the interactivity of classroom discussions, and the adaptivity on the part of the teacher. We show how each of the three articles addresses these issues. In addition, the article highlights the extent to which a combination of quantifying and sequence-analytical procedures is required to capture the content-rich and learner-sensitive design of classroom discussions.