Mapping the Flow of Class Discussion With Gantt Charts: Two Examples From Ninth-Grade History

• In Event: 28.024 - Considering Methods: Epistemologies, Evidence, and Representations

Abstract

Discussion is central to the academic disciplines but nearly absent in schools. To explore ways to promote it, this study used Gantt charts to map the flow of discourse in two ninth-grade history classes. In both, teachers invited student-student dialogue through authentic questioning, press, and uptake, but found success only in the third-period class. In first period, these moves yielded historical reasoning but little engagement. Even in third period, though, dialogue emerged late in the session, only after reviewing background, establishing textual evidence, and answering student questions. Findings suggest that educators must allot adequate class time for discussion to flourish, and should prime students’ expectations for the discursive patterns that comprise it.

Author

• Eric B. Freedman, University of Iowa