'She's not in my head or in my body': Developing identities of exclusion and inclusion in whole-class discussions

Whole-class discussions have long been the focus of much research. They are a dominant practice in many classrooms and are, potentially, key sites for fostering children's learning (Barnes, 1976; Cazden, 2001; Edwards & Mercer, 1987; Wells, 1999). In England, we have seen the endorsement of whole-class teaching within educational policy (Department for Education and Employment (DfEE), 1998, 1999, 2001), not only as a pedagogic tool for standards-based educational reform (Reynolds & Muijs, 1999), but also as a means to achieving inclusivity within an increasingly diverse classroom environment. For example, the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching introduced the notion of interactive whole class teaching, stating that it benefits children who need help to access the curriculum for example low attainers, those with special needs or limited fluency in English, by introducing them to challenging work, teaching them skills in a highly supportive context and raising their expectations and self esteem. (DfEE, 1998, p. 96) © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.