The Value of Academic Discourse Conversations That Matter [Hardcover]

This book is a panoramic consideration of how dialogue enhances teaching and learning. The editors have selected a broad range of contributors whose thoughtful reports reveal historical and practical dimensions of dialogic pedagogy. Teachers will benefit from a careful reading of this volume.All universities claim that a part of our mission is to develop students into informed global citizens. The Value of Academic Discourse: Conversations That Matter reminds us how we do it and provides excellent examples of both style and substance. This is how higher education changes the world by changing lives one student at a time.The influence of new media and technologies on our conversations make this book a powerful reminder that the art of conversation and academic dialogue are as important as ever, if not more so. In an era when the expediency of technology and new media appear to be taking over the classroom experience and creating questions about its purpose, the authors remind us that active or experiential learning begins with a classroom, synchronous and otherwise, designed around robust academic discourse.This is an important book, especially since it comes out at the time when our society is struggling to have informed, rational, and respectful conversations about the issues that are crucial to our well-being, if not to our existence. The Value of Academic Discourse: Conversations That Matter encourages us to take a fresh look at the power of talk to help us understand ourselves, each other, and the world we live in.Discourse matters, and in educational settings, what matters more are the structure, context and facilitation of our shared discourse. The Value of Academic Discourse: Conversations that Matter not only helps make this clear, it offers insights into how to make the most of our discursive opportunities.Understanding the art of academic conversations requires a building of trust, willingness to share, and a mind for critical thinking. Guidance for holdinlST