Intellectual Role Taking: Supporting Discussion in Heterogeneous Elementary Science Classes

Abstract

One of the major challenges of teaching whole class lessons in heterogeneous classrooms rests in finding ways to engage all participants in the conversation. Intellectual role taking, an approach developed and studied in the teaching of elementary science and history lessons, provides one possibility for handling this perennial pedagogical dilemma. Intellectual role taking builds on 2 wellknown and well-studied pedagogical approaches —complex instruction (Cohen, 1984, 1994) and reciprocal teaching (RT; Palincsar & Brown, 1984). Complex instruction provided a foundation for small group work time and RT informed the development of intellectual roles to be used during small group time and whole class discussions. This article provides a detailed description of the approach, highlighting the school contexts and research literatures that informed its development. Examples from elementary science lessons are included and suggestions for using it in elementary history lessons are discussed.