Using Pedagogic Register Analysis to Identify How Dialogic Discourse Creates Collective Disciplinary Capability in Secondary History

Using pedagogic register analysis, this article describes how one teacher's dialogic practice evolves over time to create a community of learners and collective disciplinary knowledge. In current research, there is substantial rigorous evidence of the importance of talk in learning. However, despite this evidence, there remains a need to articulate for teachers the linguistic choices in dialogic pedagogy that can make a difference in student learning. This research tracks the changes in classroom interaction using educational linguistics as a teacher refines her practice guided by dialogic teaching principles and in response to changing class dynamics. Pedagogic register analysis provides an ideational and interpersonal lens to view the teacher discourse. Together, pedagogic activity and pedagogic relations systems provide the tools necessary to identify the evolving dialogic practices that build and enhance students’ collective discipline capability.