A Dialogic Classroom

Much of the instructional thinking shared here grows out of conversations about building a dialogic classroom, where discussion — not lecture — drives student understanding. This approach echoes the themes Meaghan Gulledge presented at NCTE 2019 in her session "Fanning the Flames of Inquiry: The Transformative Power of a Dialogic Classroom," which explored how inquiry-driven talk can open up reading for students who might otherwise disengage.

The goal is simple: give students room to question, respond, and connect texts to their own experiences, rather than treating reading as a one-directional exercise.

In a dialogic classroom, the traditional model of teacher-led instruction gives way to something far more dynamic: genuine conversation among students about the stories they encounter. When young readers are invited to share their own questions, observations, and even uncertainties about a character's choices or a plot twist, reading becomes a shared act of discovery rather than a solitary task to complete. This approach is especially powerful for reluctant readers, who often feel disconnected from texts that seem to have no bearing on their own lives. By centering discussion, educators create space for every voice to matter, building confidence alongside comprehension.

For struggling readers, the path to fluency often runs through relevance. A child who resists a assigned novel may eagerly devour a story about a kid building a robot, navigating family upheaval, or outsmarting a bully. The key is meeting students where they are, offering texts that reflect their own experiences with friendship, loss, curiosity, and resilience. When educators pair these relatable narratives with patient, low-stakes conversations about what the reader thinks might happen next or why a character acted a certain way, they transform reading from a chore into a bridge. Understanding grows not through drills, but through connection.

Patience is perhaps the most underrated tool in a reading teacher's kit. A student who stumbles over a paragraph or stares blankly at a page is not refusing to learn; they are signaling that the meaning has not yet clicked into place. In these moments, a dialogic approach asks educators to pause, to ask open-ended questions, and to listen more than they correct. When a child hears that their interpretation has value, even if it differs from the expected answer, they begin to trust themselves as readers. That trust, built slowly through respectful exchange, is what ultimately turns a hesitant decoder into a lifelong reader.