Denne casestudien undersøker endringer i lærerledede helklasse-samtaler om åpne og flertydige litterære tekster på en ungdomsskole, der fire mors-målslærere deltar i et intervensjonsprosjekt sammen med sine elever. Målet med intervensjonsprosjektet er å forbedre kvaliteten på lærerledede plenumssamtaler om komplekse litterære tekster i tråd med dialogiske ideal, med ønske om å støtte en utforskende holdning til litteraturens åpenhet og flertydighet både hos lærere og elever. Lærerne i prosjektet har fått opplæring i samtalemodellen «Inquiry Dialogue» (Reznitskaya & Wilkinson, 2017). I analysen rettes blikket mot en av lærernes samtaleledelse i starten og slutten av intervensjonstiden for å få dybde-forklaringer på hvordan intervensjonsaktivitetene bidro til hennes gradvise faglige utvikling, og hva slags utfordringer hun sto overfor. Funnene viser en endring i lærerens undervisningspraksis som særlig kommer til uttrykk i måten hun forhol-der seg til sine elever på når de arbeider med den åpne og flertydige «Foran loven» (Kafka, 2000 [1925]). Vi finner en utvikling av dialogiske kvaliteter i samtalen som blant annet skyldes at den drives av autentiske, åpne spørsmål hvor lærer gir slipp på ideen om at elevene skal frem til en bestemt tolkning.

The tension between openness and ambiguity in literature and readers' expectation of coherence and consistency (i.e., their 'desire for closure') may present a pedagogical dilemma in literature classrooms. While prior research has identified an educational potential of using open works to de-automatize students' thinking, encourage tolerance for ambiguity, and shape literary awareness, empirically-based knowledge of such classroom practice is scarce. The present study examined the interaction between structured openness of literary texts and readers' 'desire for closure' in the context of literature discussions in lower secondary school. Drawing on videotaped whole-class discussions about narratively complex short stories in an ongoing intervention to support quality of literature discussions, we identified six different closing mechanisms used by either the teacher or the students: 1) Forcing a one-sided interpretation; 2) Inferring new context, not given by the text, to embed already preferred interpretations; 3) Magnifying peripheral details to support interpretations; 4) Staying on the surface-concentrating on the empirically verifiable and determinate; 5) Skipping between inquiries instead of developing lines of thought; and 6) Encouraging readers to connect fictive elements to their own lives. Based on the analysis, we discuss how interactional closure of literary openness in the classroom context relates to principal educational ideals of promoting clarity, comprehension, and coherence.

Regardless of the quality of classroom video data, merely watching videos will not change the ways teachers reflect upon and enact teaching. To support nuanced discussions of practice grounded in videos, teachers need to take part in scaffolded viewing and interpretation. They can also benefit greatly from gaining access to a shared vocabulary and a common language for describing distinct qualities of teaching practice. This chapter addresses the potential challenges associated with reflecting on video clips, importance of framing discussions, and different ways such support can take place. It also highlights the importance of establishing a common professional vocabulary for discussing teaching and sheds light on how one specific way of framing discussions about teaching, namely observational manuals, can lead to both common language and more targeted discussions. Throughout the chapter, the authors share data from empirical projects addressing how attention to specific teaching practices, in combination with the provision of tools and concepts that enable a common and specified language for discussing those practices, can enhance the mentoring of teachers in PD and teacher candidates during fieldwork.

The use of video is steadily highlighted as a powerful tool for teachers’ professional learning. The research literature points to a range of different advantages and purposes for using video, and this chapter summarizes research specifically indicating that the use of videos can contribute to developing in-service and pre-service teachers’ professional vision. The chapter shows how the use of video can enable a variety of perspectives on teaching, for instance by focused attention on the students’ perspective. The chapter also outlines research indicating how the use of video can enhance teacher noticing and reflective skills, and finally discusses how video can contribute to an inquiry stance necessary to develop teaching. Throughout the chapter, empirical data is shared to illustrate how teachers pre- and in-service teachers themselves experience using video as a professional tool-and how that has impacted their own professional learning. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Marte Blikstad-Balas and Inga Staal Jenset; individual chapters, the contributors.

This study explored to what extent observable and perceived features of language arts instruction could explain variance in student reading achievement in lower secondary school. Data from classroom observations (using PLATO) and student surveys (using Tripod) were collected to examine the relationships between dimensions of teaching and student achievement gains (N=601). A combination of instructional features that provide coherence and consolidation of new knowledge were found to be positive predictors of reading achievement. The majority of features examined, however, did not significantly explain variance in achievement. We discuss the findings with respect to expected theoretical assumptions and potential measurement limitations. 

To lead discussions about complex literary texts in a classroom of teenagers is no doubt a challenging task for many teachers. It is therefore meaningful to explore how teachers' management of literature discussions can be supported and improved. Prior research indicates a positive relationship between certain modes of discussion and increased literary awareness. Yet observational studies underscore that openended, probing discussions about literature are scarce in today's classrooms. This article elaborates the theoretical framing of an intervention designed to improve the quality of teacher-led discussions about complex literary texts. We argue that dialogic theory, appropriate for highlighting the processes of classroom interaction, needs to be supplemented by theory that offers an explanation for the role of the literary text and its impact on both readers and their interaction processes. For this purpose, we examine the conceptual matching between theory of dialogic teaching, drawing on Bakhtin's idea of meaning making as inherently dialogic, and theories of literary response, specifically Shklovsky's concept defamiliarization and recent didactical analysis of Derrida's concept undecidability. The intention of the paper is to suggest a theoretical framing of the intervention, one that allows for both analysis of the aesthetic processes of reading and talking about literature, and specific guidance of teachers' management of those discussions.