The recent publication of "The New Zealand Curriculum" calls for students to become connected, creative, confident life-long learners. To realise this vision, fundamental change is required in the way teachers and students think about and participate in classroom-based teaching and learning. This paper discusses one aspect of an action research study that examined the development of a sociocultural approach called a community of learners in four New Zealand primary school classrooms. The results showed that developing a learning community required teachers and students to form reciprocal connections across intellectual, social, emotional and physical dimensions. This paper illustrates the emergence of dialogue as an essential component of developing a learning community. Results show the importance of teachers challenging their assumptions about teaching and learning and guiding students to engage in the reciprocal and responsive processes of dialogue.