Dialogic space: An introduction

Communicating in dialogic space in our classrooms prepares us to participate in a democratic, inclusive, and civil society. Dialogic space is that elusive shared space of possibilities that exists among participants as we commit to engaging in ways that new knowledge can be created, presented, questioned, and developed as interpretations of our realities are in conversation with those of others. We agree to be open, yet remain in dialogue, and to welcome different and conflicting ideas and perspectives. In other words, dialogic space carries a particular set of values about how differences are brought into relationship, how people are addressed, and who we can become. Teachers can communicate that dialogic space is an achievable communal aspiration, but it is up to students to participate. In this introduction to a special issue on dialogic space, we discuss challenges as well as discourse conditions and practices that signal investment in the project of dialogic space. In dialogic space, a classroom community embraces its potential as an environment for intellectual curiosity that invites courage and patience in students.