in a primary science classroom setting. Teacher
feedback suggested that exploring VBA more
deeply in a primary setting was of interest and
that it supported their existing work in developing
children’s personal skills and skills for learning
in science.
Project aims
The research described in this article was designed
as a pilot study to explore the influence of the
VBA framework and teaching activities, adapted
as described above, on children’s awareness of
and ability to use different types of language in
the science curriculum at upper primary level
(age 9–11). The purpose was to assess how this
enhanced the effectiveness of group discussions.
The research hypothesis was that, by teaching
children about different types of language in
group discussions and demonstrating the use
of the categories of talk, they would respond to
practice and in time better understand the impact
that certain types of talk have in group situations.
Specifically, the aim was to consider how VBA could enrich talk in the science classroom.
In doing this we aimed to address the need to
develop effective talk in the science classroom
and the continued emphasis on enhancing literacy
across the primary school curriculum. It was
understood that the project would not specifically
target the development of science-specific skills
but should help children to be more aware of
how they interact and speak with others during
science activities, thus assisting them in making
their thinking clear both to themselves and