So that Schools are not a Body without a Soul: Educators’ Approaches to Dialogic Pedagogy with Youth in the U.S. Middle Schools

Abstract

The emphasis of this dissertation is on dialogic pedagogy as it manifests in the practices and experiences of three middle school Humanities teachers while engaging students in the classroom. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how teachers encourage classroom dialogue in a way that students' voices and experiences are valued, and they are acknowledged as creative, capable, and active human beings. Drawing on Freirean theoretical and pedagogical approaches as well as his Theory of Dialogic Action, this case study was conducted from a humanistic and critical perspective to understand the importance of humanistic critical dialogic pedagogy and how teachers approach it in an era of standardization and a climate of fear and distrust.