Classroom discourse and opportunities to learn: An ethnographic study of knowledge construction in a bilingual third‐grade classroom

Abstract

The present study examines how two teams of students in a bilingual third‐grade classroom co‐construct knowledge through their oral and written discourse. By analyzing the various interactional patterns, times, and spaces of the class members, the multiple and varied opportunities for learning become visible. We also explore the role of the teacher in constructing these opportunities for learning. Our findings demonstrate how a pair of female students and a triad of male students, through their interaction and talk, negotiate, shape, and reshape the common task of writing a draft of a “planet story.” Our data suggest that although a common task does not necessarily lead to common opportunities to learn, it may provide a wide range of opportunities for students to construct their own knowledge and thus to learn.