Argumentation as Critically Oriented Pedagogical Dialogue

Argumentation in educa-tional contexts has been proposed as a dialogic practice that stimulates and promotes students’ critical thinking. However, the way critical thinking relates to argumentation is still not clear in the literature. This essay proposes the exploration of the concept of criticality, as manifested in students’ and teachers’ contribu-tions within argumentative interac-tions, as the basis for the redefinition of “pedagogical dialogue” as a dialogue oriented towards critical argumentation. The main character-istics of this type of dialogue are described, shedding light on the connection between argumentation and critical thinking. These charac-teristics are illustrated through examples drawn from classroom interactions