Dialogic pedagogies in educational settings for active citizenship, social cohesion and peacebuilding in Lebanon

Abstract

Many educational programmes in societies affected by armed conflict aim to promote dialogic engagement as a fundamental aim and pedagogy for social reconstruction. Despite supporting government policies, classrooms show very little or no evidence of dialogic practices where learners (co-)construct knowledge with peers and engage in critical and appreciative inquiry. In the case of Lebanon, I examine the approaches of promoting dialogic pedagogies through formal and non-formal educational programmes. The conceptual framework draws on literature from Bakhtin, Habermas, Islamic and Arab scholars and researchers in effective learning. Evidence is gathered from (1) classroom observations and conversations with teachers from seven schools and (2) students’ written reflections from a 10-day residential programme. Evidence suggests that dialogic engagement is largely dependent on facilitators’ approaches to knowledge construction. Even with intervention to support teachers in facilitating dialogic activities in formal schooling, teachers continue to seek student confirmation of preset content knowledge.