Is it not what you want?

Conflicting ideals in dialogic interaction and rhetorical nonfiction writing for real purposes in school

Abstract

The article explores how the ideals of dialogic teaching and writing for real-life purposes can conflict in practice. To this end, the article focuses on dialogic interactions between the teacher and students in a 5^th-grade writing classroom where writing is approached as something anchored in real-life situations. Drawing on positioning theory, I unpack these interactions, observing how basic teaching ideals seem to intersect and create tensions that challenge not only students but also the teacher. Such teaching ideals include a desire to a) be sincerely dialogical and appreciative of students’ perspectives, b) support and qualify students’ rhetorical reflections concerning constituents of the specific situation, and c) create engagement by anchoring writing in real purposes outside the classroom. The article points to how the real life to which students must relate as writers can be both limiting and eye-opening.