Photo: Students in Dialogue

Connect to Content

Photo: Students laughing in class

The good news is that you don't have to choose between dialogue and teaching. Dialogue doesn't compete with student learning.

A dialogic classroom reinforces learning by grounding it in students' lived experiences.

Connect-to-content exercises and practices can be used to make complex concepts real for students or to synthesize the content of a dialogue. You might invite a personal reflection, or prompt a new discussion with a dialogic question. You might help students connect their personal experiences to a topic, or explore the ways a given topic has affected student experiences.

The dialogic classroom has several major effects on how students connect to classroom content. Whether it’s in a big gen-ed science course or a small history seminar, dialogic practices:

  • Develop curiosity about the subject
  • Deepen student learning
  • Strengthen students' sense of belonging
  • Encourage regular classroom participation
  • Open students up to different views, experiences, and opinions

Want to use dialogue in your classroom? Bring Essential Partners to your campus or register for an EP Dialogic Classroom training.