Dialogic Readers

A Dialogic Approach to Understanding Reading celebrates the sophisticated and dynamic discussions that primary-aged children have as they talk together to make meaning from a variety of texts, and it highlights the potential for talk between readers as a tool for critical and creative thinking. It proposes a new dialogic theory of reading comprehension which incorporates multi-modal media , and adds further weight to the argument that talk as a tool for learning should form a central part of primary classroom learning and teaching. The book explores: The language of co-construction - how children build meanings together Thinking together - children's creative response to text The dialogic transaction between text and readers The use of language as a tool for creating a social harmony between readers This significant work is aimed at educational lecturers, researchers and students who want to explore an expanded notion of reading comprehension in the 21st century realising how opportunities for children thinking creatively together might transform the potential for learning in the classroom. It provides a framework for analysing co-constructive talk with suggestions for promoting children's critical and creative thinking.