Dialogic Literary Gatherings: Reading the Classics and Tearing Down Elitist Walls

• In Event: Promoting Social Transformation From Education: The Role of Successful Educational Actions

Abstract

1. Objectives

This paper presents Dialogic Literary Gatherings, a literacy program consisting of children, youth, and working-class adults reading classical literature through a dialogic process where interpretation is open and free. Apart from introducing this program, the paper discusses its main educational and social impacts.


2. Theoretical framework

The Theory of Dialogic Action (Freire, 1997) showed the central role of dialogue in education. From the dialogic approach, meaning and knowledge are constructed collectively. Similarly to this theory, the Bakhtinian multi-voicedness concept (Bakhtin, 1981) stated that ideas in texts are the result of many dialogues and, therefore, interpretation is the result of a dialogic chain. Building on these understandings, from a dialogic reading approach, reading is an action that takes place in many and diverse contexts during more time, from the classroom to the street and the home and which is shared with friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, volunteers and other community members (Teberosky & Soler, 2003). Freire and Macedo (1987) included this perspective in their “reading the word and the world” framework in which literacy means access to the world and increased chances of transformative action in society. The dialogic literary gatherings share basic principles with Freire’s culture circles (1973), which enact a radical form of pedagogy that differs from the passive forms of education that are central to transmissive models of teaching and learning.

3. Methods and data resources

In this paper we discuss dialogic literary gatherings that were identified by conducting 5 case studies of schools in Spain: 2 pre-primary, 1 primary, 1 secondary and 1 primary with children with special needs. These schools were selected based on two major criteria: 1) Schools had to be performing above other schools in the same context; 2) The students came from families of low SES and/or minority background.

4. Results

Dialogic literary gatherings with students and with family and community members improve literacy learning while also foster a critical reading of social reality. The dialogic procedure of the gatherings, with no one imposing her or his interpretation of the classical readings to the others, leads to interpretations that are very creative and unique. In addition, the fact that the readings are classical literature implies breaking down with the elitis belief that those books can be only appreciated by upper classes. Also, in all cases, the dialogic literary gatherings raise motivation for reading, improve literacy, and increases self-confidence in academic settings. After participating in dialogic literary gatherings, some family and community members decide to engage in other sociocultural activities in the school and beyond.

6. Significance

Far from stating that appreciation for classical works is a question of habitus (Bordieu) the dialogic literary gatherings show that given the chance, people with oppressed backgrounds enjoy classical literature and expands current literary interpretations of those works. This is fostered by the dialogic procedure of the dialogic literary gatherings that allows for making meaning from one’s own life experiences. The dialogic literary gatherings represent a new critical way to approach literacy learning in schools.

Authors

• Patricia Melgar Alcantud, Universitat de Girona

• Itxaso Tellado, University of Vic