Challenging Learning Through Dialogue

Strategies to Engage Your Students and Develop Their Language of Learning

"We know that teachers do too much of the talking in the classroom, and they know it too. But too often their first question is “How do we get students to talk more?”  Nottingham, Nottingham and Renton have helped answer that question. Challenging Learning is filled with practical advice and important activities that will help increase dialogue in classrooms!"

"This work from Nottingham, Nottingham, and Renton clearly demonstrates first how to create both the moral and instructional imperative to increase student voice and dialogue for meaning-making between teacher and student in all classrooms.  They then articulate countless ways for how to do so in practical, meaningful, and relevant ways that allow any teacher to begin to do so tomorrow.  This work should be in the hands of every teacher and administrator before they walk in your school."

"In my position as the gifted specialist I work with both students and teachers. I help support teachers in planning to meet the needs of my students, as well as working with beginning teachers.  All would benefit from incorporating Dialogue in [their] content areas. This book could quite frankly change a lot of classroom practices–it wasn't preachy–it was informative and a great guide to engage students."

"This book is a great tool for educators interested in making dialogue work in the classroom. [It] is really clear and easy to follow with sample dialogue structures that teachers can use and examples to follow. I recommend it for individual educators, teams, [and] districts…"

"James Nottingham has masterfully explained what dialogue is and how to use it in the classroom through powerful strategies. These powerful strategies challenge students to engage in deep thinking and understanding. The myriad of examples bring the strategies to life and I could envision the possible student exchanges with the use of these strategies as I was reading."

"James Nottingham thinks most teachers do too much of the talking in the classroom. His newest offering from the Challenging Learning series is a stand-alone exploration of how to use reasonable, student-generated dialogue to move from surface-level learning to deep understanding. Nottingham uses relevant research, instructive examples, and a wealth of resource tools to help educators guide students in how to think rather than what to think. Regardless of grade level or discipline, teachers who want to hone their mastery skills will appreciate this useful book."

"Sitting among eager students engaged in what James Nottingham calls “exploratory talk” is, indeed, a thrilling experience, because we are witnessing authentic wonder, inquiry, critical thinking, and reflection all in pursuit of deeper understanding of complex issues and ideas. In this book Nottingham presents viable approaches for such talk, for learning how to think. One result is “to make us wobble,” not in commitment but in considering the thoroughness of all our thinking. This is a splendid contribution to our literature in these days where the matter of rigorous, performance standards is in much need of debate and dialogue."

"The best kinds of teaching books do three things: show me what I'm doing; cast a compelling vision for how I could be doing it better; and provide me practical tools for turning the present reality into the compelling vision. With those criteria, I can only call this a new member of the best kinds of teaching books. I am eager to infuse dialogue into the speaking and listening work my students and I do together."

"This book reminds teachers of the power of dialogue to develop deeper learning. It provides a groundbreaking framework with specific strategies teachers can use as they move students toward deeper understanding through dialogue."