Sharing Words: Theory and Practice of Dialogic Learning. Critical Perspectives Series.

This book narrates the story of a literacy circle that was created by adults who were attending basic literacy and new reader classes. The introduction provides in-depth discussions of each of the seven principles of dialogic learning, which are as follows: egalitarian dialogue; cultural intelligence; transformation; instrumental dimension; creating meaning; solidarity; and equality of differences. Concluding the introduction is a bibliography that lists 57 references. Each of the book's seven chapters personalizes one of the seven principles by explaining how the process of dialogic learning enabled seven members of a literacy circle, that was held at the LaVerneda-Sant Marti adult education center in Barcelona, Spain, to progress from the point where they never read books at all to the point where they were reading and enjoying the literary works of authors such as Lorca, Kafka, Dostoyevsky, and Joyce. The themes of the personal stories related in Chapters 1-7 are reflected in the chapter titles, which are as follows: "Manuel: A Life Spent Struggling against Cultural Inequalities"; "Lola: From 'Illiterate' to Creator of a Literacy Circle"; "Chelo: Subject of Her Own Transformation"; "Rocio: Overcoming Ageism"; "Juan: Decolonizing Everyday Life"; "Rosalia: Dialogic Research"; and "Antonio: Gypsy Contribution to the Dialogue." (MN)