Disrupting the Discourse (DtD): A Dialogic Framework for Inclusive and Transformative Teaching. Seven Principles for Inclusive and Transformative Teaching

This paper introduces Disrupting the Discourse (DtD), a dialogic framework for inclusive and transformative teaching in higher education. Developed from an exploration of student alienation, differential student outcomes and the hidden curriculum, the framework challenges traditional, monologic approaches to teaching in which knowledge is predominantly transmitted from lecturer to student. Drawing on dialogic pedagogy, critical pedagogy, social constructivism and compassionate approaches to learning, the paper argues that inclusive teaching requires more than curriculum representation or the addition of diverse content. It requires attention to the relationships, power dynamics and conditions through which knowledge is produced, shared and valued.

The paper identifies seven principles that underpin the DtD framework: (1) disruption as a learning tool; (2) interrogating knowledge and power structures; (3) experiential and performative learning; (4) student agency and institutional transformation; (5) a collective learning ecosystem; (6) co-creation in evaluation and assessment; and (7) employability and skills development through knowledge exchange. Together, these principles reposition students as active participants and co-creators of knowledge, while encouraging educators to share authority, facilitate critical dialogue and connect learning to lived experience and the world beyond the classroom.