Classroom Discussions in Education

P. Karen Murphy is Professor of Education and Harry and Marion Eberly Faculty Fellow in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University, USA.

"This edited volume provides a comprehensive examination of classroom talk from both the student and teacher perspectives. The book will be highly beneficial for academics that want to learn more about classroom discourse and for pre- and in-service teachers. The depth of the treatment of the topic includes theoretical and some empirical works to satisfy an academic audience, while the use of specific examples will help those not versed in the theoretical or empirical perspectives to apply what is in this volume to their classroom practice. This is particularly helpful in Chapter 4, where specific examples are given across academic domains, and in Chapter 5, where broader principles about quality talk are discussed."—Daniel L. Dinsmore, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology in the Department of Foundations & Secondary Education at the University of North Florida, USA"At the core of all classroom instruction are discussions—the academic talk that occurs between teachers and their students. But what distinguishes good discussions that promote students’ thinking and learning from less effective ones? That is the critical question that this volume edited by P. Karen Murphy sets out to address. With each chapter, contributing authors share guiding principles for how quality discussions should be orchestrated and the learning and motivational benefits to be accrued from those discussions by teachers and students alike. Those principles, and the illustrative cases that accompany them, put the ideal of quality classroom discussion within the reach of all educators. Given the theoretical importance and practical richness of this volume, it belongs on the must-read list for anyone concerned with improving students learning."—Patricia A. Alexander, Jean Mullan Professor of Literacy and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland, USA"There is a good deal of ‘chalk-face’ advice and practical tips, mixed with well thought through analysis of matters such as the nature of quality questions and responses. I was especially interested in the insistence that discourse elements - what we might call cognitive moves - need to be taught explicitly to students prior to discussions.[...] There was plenty of food for thought, alternative ways of analysing things that we are all interested in, and quite a number of ideas that could be easily adapted into P4/wC theory and practice."—Dr. Tim Sprod, Journal of Philosophy in Schools

• AcknowledgementsPreface Chapter 1 - Classroom Discussions: Building the Foundation for Productive Talk by Rachel M. V. Croninger, Mengyi Li, Chelsea Cameron, and P. Karen MurphyChapter 2 - Teacher and Student Roles: Walking the Gradually Changing Line of Responsibility by Liwei Wei and P. Karen MurphyChapter 3 - Pedagogical Decisions and Contextual Factors: Tipping the Scales Toward Highly Productive Discussions by Mengyi LiChapter 4 - Learning Processes and Products: Propelling Students Ahead Through Talk by Elizabeth M. Allen, Cristin Montalbano, and Rebekah F. DukeChapter 5 - Quality Talk: A Blueprint for Productive Talk by P. Karen Murphy and Carla M. FirettoGlossary Contributor BiographiesIndex