Talking About Talk: Reclaiming the Value and Power of Literature Circles

In a five‐year investigation of the practices that underpinned the culture of inquiry in one school, a discourse of inquiry was found to be central to substantive growth and change. While this discourse was often recognized for promoting and sustaining literacy learning, the authors also found that it played a key role in identifying, confronting, and resolving dilemmas teachers and students face in the day‐to‐day realities of classroom life. In this article, the authors demonstrate the ways two teachers engaged their students in reflective conversations about their talk during literature circles. In both classrooms, the teachers made decisions to inquire into the process of literature circles in an effort to improve the quality of their students' interactions and learning potential during literature conversations.