Response-ability: A Bakhtinian Analysis of the Scripted Discourse Within Mandated Early Elementary English Language Arts Curricula

• In Event: 75.036 - Critical Perspectives on Pedagogy Across Content Areas

Abstract

As the field of education faces higher standards and assessment pressures than ever before, many schools are turning to commercially-produced curricula to ensure that teaching is standardized and aligned. The “silver bullet” programs contain materials required to teach each lesson, to plan each unit, and to assess students. Many include talking prompts for teachers to follow and suggested student responses. But what happens when scripted curricula are mandated by a school district? Can authentic dialogue occur, or is all dialogue derived from the authority text? How does student response change when the script is the main instructional tool? These are the questions that this research sought to answer in order to understand the context within which scripted curricula exist.

Authors

• Susan A. Sturm, SUNY - College at Fredonia

• Tina M. Bampton, University at Buffalo