Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 24
Knowledge Building/Knowledge Forum
R
:
The Transformation of Classroom Discourse
Thérèse Laferrière
1
and Mary Lamon
2
1
Laval University, Quebec, Canada, e-mail: tlaf@fse.ulaval.ca
2
Lamon Consulting, Toronto, Canada, e-mail: mlamon@sympatico.ca
Background
Classroom Discourse
Several studies have indicated that meaningful discourse is the most relevant
classroom variable for learning; but is not pervasive in North American schools
(Applebee, 1996). Traditionally, and unlike conventional conversation or dialogue
in research or professional communities, classroom discourse typically conforms to
a participation structure controlled by the teacher. Teachers ask most questions, call
on students to answer, and allocate turns (Greenleaf & Freedman, 1993). The dis-
course between teacher and students is then limited to a format with the purpose of
transmitting information where the teacher already knows the answer. The typical
classroom discourse structure has three turns (Sinclair et al., 1975; Mehan, 1979;
Cazden, 1988) and is composed of the following moves: teacher initiation (e.g., ask
a question) (I), student response (R), and teacher feedback/comment (F) or evalu-
ation (E) of the student's response (IRF/IRE). According to Wells (1993), the IRF
structure accounts for as much as 70% of all classroom talk, and is typical of class-
room discourse (Lemke, 1990; Wells 1999). The use of Flanders' (1970) framework
for studying classroom interaction has led to another observation: one that stresses
that the teacher speaks for 60-80% of the time.
Ways of diversifying classroom discourse have been sought (Christie, 2002). For
instance, Wells (1993, 1999) built on the “IRF” structure, one in which the teacher
uses assisting questions, ones that encourage learners to think as well as participa-
tory methods that actively engage students in their own learning either individually
or in small groups. The community of learners model (Brown, 1994, 1997) and
the knowledge-building community model (Scardamalia, Bereiter, & Lamon, 1994;
Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2007) have arisen as powerful models for organizing the
learning environment in ways that are especially respectful of research advances
