‘Dialogic space’ is an increasingly referenced concept in educational research. In this symposium we explore ways of researching dialogic space and unpack some of its significance.  While, from the point of view of individual participants dialogic space can be defined as the deepening of intersubjective orientations. To enter into dialogic space individuals have to have a dialogic orientation or to ‘be open to the other’. But the concept of ‘dialogic space’ starts more with the idea of relationship than with the idea of the individuals in relationship. It is the idea of a space of relationship that, in some sense, precedes, exceeds and envelops the individuals within relationship. To enter into dialogue is to surrender some autonomy and allow the possibility of learning something which is the possibility that you will change.  Dialogic space is the name given to that shared process of growth which one surrenders to. It is the opening of a shared space of possibilities in which the dialogue is more important than ownership of ideas. There is an observable shift of identity from being on one side of the barrier, strategically trying to win an argument to sharing the thinking in a real dialogue: to the space of the ‘between’ (Buber, 2002).

The symposium looks at the processes through which this dialogic expansion is established. Our particular interest is in developing an understanding of how dialogic space is expressed or communicated through different media of meaning creation: dance, music, movement and language/blogging. The group will share an analytic orientation towards ‘dialogue’ or ‘dialogic pedagogies’ which foregrounds the exploration of the nature and dynamics of intersubjective orientations in these diverse settings. 

Drawing on interdisciplinary connections, the symposium features the work of Rupert Wegerif (evaluating the opening of dialogic space in online blogging) Kerry Chappell (Living Dialogic Space and embodied dialogic creativity), Eva Vass (the emergence of creative intersubjectivities through embodied dialogues in experiential music pedagogies) and Amaya Canovi (dialogical flow: observing classroom emotions intertwined with learning processes).

The symposium will also consider a closely interrelated issue: how we understand education for creativity in the varied contexts represented by the symposium members. The group will interrogate the emergence of the link between the domain knowledge or media and creativity over time in periods of flow and reification which are iteratively interrelated. Although each symposium paper is anchored in a particular socio-cultural context, they discuss pedagogic phenomena which have both local as well as cross-cultural or international relevance.

Buber, M. (2002) Between Man and Man. New York: Routledge.