Chapter 2: The Dialogic Dilemma: Pacing Guides as Objects of Analysis

One of the most ubiquitous objects in American classrooms is the pacing guide. Whether created by the school district, a for-profit company, or the teacher, pacing guides have evolved as a unique document type. Pacing guides are substantively different from other educational documents in that they produce a hidden discourse. The literary theory of Mikhail Bakhtin provides the basis for this textual analysis, which examines the unwritten dialogue pacing guides construct and facilitate. These dialogues include issues of scope, knowledge, and teaching/learning. Pacing guides play a large role in restricting what is taught and the manner in which curriculum is taught; however, several response strategies, including resistance, are possible.