The quality of talk in childrenʹs collaborative activity in the classroom

This paper describes research based on observational data of the talk of children working together on educational activities in primary school classrooms. It offers an analysis of the quality of observed talk, an analysis which emerges from a sociocultural perspective on the process of teaching and learning. The paper is organized around four main themes: (a) the role of oral language and joint activity in the construction of knowledge; (b) education in schools as a cultural and linguistic activity; (c) the role of a teacher in fostering certain kinds of discourse; and (d) the need for applied educational research to be based on close working relationships between teachers and researchers.