Abstract
Based on the need for creative and collaborative problem solving through dialogue in modern society, school education aims to establish autonomous discussion among students without teachers’ intervention. Although research in discussion in Japanese language education has so far proposed instructional methods that emphasize metacognition, the guidance for incorporating the methodological knowledge into daily classes is yet to be covered. Therefore, this study developed a class for fifth-grade students to learn about topics and issues by comparing divergent and convergent discussions and analyzing their responses. The result showed that students in the upper grades of elementary school could detect differences in topics from the written material of the discussion. It was also suggested that they might be able to reconfigure their discussion points in response to the development of the discussion and that the awareness of topics and issues may lead to the unconscious use of methodological knowledge.
