Talk and the Development of Reasoning and Understanding
- 1 February 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by S. Karger AG in Human Development
- Vol. 51 (1), 90-100
- https://doi.org/10.1159/000113158
Abstract
Wertsch’s clarification of Vygotsky’s claims about the role of social interaction in the development of children’s thinking made an important contribution to educational research. Revisiting that clarification, I suggest that ‘talk’ instead of ‘speech’ best describes Vygotsky’s concern with the functional dynamics of dialogue rather than the language system. Reviewing research on teacher-pupil interaction and collaborative activity amongst peers, I then consider what evidence has now emerged to support Vygotsky’s claims. The article ends with a brief summary of the current state of our understanding about the role of spoken dialogue in learning and development.Keywords
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