Dialogic instruction is about teachers and students engaged in dialogue and creating knowledge together. This occurs through academic work, through students' work for the Centre and through social interactions within the Centre. Students work with one another as well as with the teachers; they help one another and are actively engaged in making the small and big decisions that are the lifeblood of the Centre. Students make decisions about what to tell other students, about what a person needs to know.

Dialogic instruction at the Centre involves teachers working to create opportunities for students to build on success through recognition of knowing what they know and taking on new material. Christina starts every new class with a discussion about what the students know about the topic. I participated in one of Kate's classes during the first week of September, where there were many new students. Kate had written a short two-sentence paragraph on the chalkboard that was an excerpt from a poem by a black American writer talking about her family and the power of being told stories by her aunt. After Kate explained the background to the paragraph, she asked that everyone read the paragraph aloud together. The she took the chalk brush and erased three small words (articles) and asked everyone to read it together again, then did a round and asked individuals to read it alone. She continued to erase words, individuals continued to "read" the gradually disappearing paragraph until no words appeared on the board. Students smiled and laughed a lot, there was much encouragement of one another and a strong feeling of camaraderie and group. People talked together about their surprise that they could still "read" the paragraph and remember all the words that had been on the board. So from the beginning, during the first week at the Centre, students become engaged in activities that set them up for success and give opportunities to work together and support one another in experiencing a sense of accomplishment.

The three main components of the teachers' dialogic instruction approach that will be discussed are: teaching and learning leadership, push pedagogy and transparency of practice.

Teaching & Learning Leadership

This section describes what teaching leadership means at the Centre. Some of the challenges and contradictions of teaching leadership are broached in an exploration of the differences between sharing power and getting out of the way. This is followed by an outline of the student leadership roles, with specific focus on the challenges and the roles of Head Leaders. Further challenges and contractions of teaching leadership are looked at in a discussion about the differences in experiences and values between teachers and students.