Orchestrating Dialogic Discourse in Secondary Science Classrooms

Classroom talk holds vast learning potential for meaning making processes in science classrooms. However, researchers observe that utilization of its learning potential in science classrooms has been somewhat neglected. This research investigated various purposes of teachers’ discourse moves essential for orchestrating dialogic discourse in secondary science classroom settings using multiple case study research design. A fine-grained analysis of the purposes of the teachers’ discourse moves was done using a coding scheme developed for the study. Implications are drawn for both science teachers and teacher-educators by identifying appropriate repertoire of strategies facilitating teachers to position themselves as ‘enablers of talk for thinking’ (Chin, 2006).