Adler, Mary & Rougle, Eija (2005). Building Literacy Through Classroom Discussion: Research-Based Strategies for Developing Critical Readers and Thoughtful Writers in Middle School. New York: Scholastic.

Horace Mann once commented that the Common School, when “…improved and energized… may become the most effective and benignant of all the forces of civilization” (Noll, 2003). In Mary Adler and Eija Rougle’s book, Building Literacy Through Classroom Discussion, both employ elaborate, well-written and thorough research-driven strategies in an effort to improve literacy in adolescents in middle school. The author's assumptions are minimal as evidenced in their unified, in-depth attention to details relating to activities by way of transcripts, descriptions and visual representations. The format of the book includes helpful troubleshooting tips as a literary device to help readers visualize the concepts being introduced. The authors assert that a discussion-centered classroom is a student-centered classroom, teeming with the constant flow of activity. Further, a student-centered classroom is a culture-centered classroom with the type of discussion centered framework (dialogic architecture) that changes the traditional teachers' role and leads to more progressive thinking among their middle school pupils.

Readers are encouraged to apply researcher, Judith Langer’s “four stances” as a strategic approach in the dialogic development in literature. Langer developed a “scale” of perceptions that is comprised of four major chords in which participants in her study were asked to verbalize their thinking while utilizing a Read Aloud process. Langer noticed four consistent behaviors which became known as behavior stances, or ways to construct envisionments of literary text. The four stances are:

• Initial understanding
• Developing ideas
• Learning from the text
• Taking a critical stance (p. 91)

The authors use examples effectively throughout the book in the form of transcripts in an effort to convey what a middle school dialogic classroom would look like. Transcripts offer a snapshot of a typical lesson where the teacher is a facilitator, participator and observer (pp. 74-5) of dialogic interaction. The purpose is to give educators a model to work from in their classrooms, “mapping” conversation in an observer capacity (p. 76).

Dialogue is used in many facets of classroom practice. It is useful in the construction of thought processes that integrate writing, reading and the skill of being able to express oneself through oral presentations (p. 81). Ultimately, the authors craft a book that addresses augmentation of reading skills in the classroom through a series of higher order thinking techniques. They assert the importance of students having the ability to share ideas and thoughts.

“The movement to improve the quality of learning begins with freeing teachers and others to become facilitators of learning” (Rogers & Frieberg, 1994). Whether the discussion is S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders or an adaptation of E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web for the earlier grades, Building Literacy Through Classroom Discussion offers insight into effective methods for instilling higher order thinking in the minds of students. Adler & Rougle address characteristics of envisionment building on page 89. Envisionment building is not fixed or definite in terms of looking for a specific answer. Using a comparison/contrast T-chart format, envisionment building is described as a technique that follows the way a mind works. It is nonlinear in nature and deals with local and global concepts of understanding. The lowly study guide is easily turned into a more advantageous envisionment guide in this concept of curriculum building, thus aiding educators in their planning and meeting academic goals. This is especially true since envisionment guides offer the sort of independent thinking focus that study guides do not. Envisionment allows students to take ownership of the learning process by empowering them to take control over what they learn. Envisionment also prevents a topic from becoming superficial. In essence, students are encouraged to speak their mind, taking risks in the process.

Scaffolding is discussed as a healthy alternative to stereotyping. To help scaffold discussions it is recommended that teachers (1) pose an open-ended question, (2) use student responses to guide discussion or “scaffolding in action,” and (3) consider Langer’s four stances (p. 96).

Certainly, Adler and Rougle leave no stone unturned in urging teachers to add paired reading, journals and poetry to their repertoire of strategies to get students talking and reflecting about texts they’ve read. Paired reading allows peers to help one another gain insight into a particular part of a text, or in some cases the entire text. I have successfully used paired reading as a tool to get my primary students to increase their understanding in my classroom as well. They also advocate allowing students to use sticky notes to engage text more critically.

Not only would I recommend this book to middle school teachers and administrators, I see it as a necessary tool for building upon the experiences of students that could be adapted at the elementary level, to create the sort of value system for reading we educators deserve to see in the populations we serve!

References

Mann, H. (2003). The education of free men. In J. Noll (Ed.), Taking sides: Clashing view on controversial educational issues. (pp. 74-77). Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.

Rogers, C.R. & Freiberg, H.J. (1994). Freedom to Learn (3^rd Ed). Columbus, OH: Merrill/Macmillan

Pages: 216     Price: $21.99    ISBN: 0-439-61650-6

Reviewed by Seth J. Batiste, Doctoral Student in Educational Leadership & Cultural Studies at the University of Houston. Mr. Batiste is interested in research that assesses SAT scores and their relationship to first year minority achievement in a First Year Experience/Mentorship Program.