‘Connotations of Connotations of Connotations’: Examining Dialogue within an English Literature Classroom

This paper explores the case study of a single classroom community. Through the scrutiny of two interview conversations with groups of students, it examines the attitudes and responses to the study of literary texts that are developed within this specific social context. It highlights the role of dialogue, both within the classroom and in the interviews themselves, as central to the learning that takes place. Implications are discussed for the development of dialogic practice in other classrooms, in the context of England’s current process of curricular reform.