ABSTRACT
Children need to understand the different types of talk that they can use and be given the opportunity to explore and practise different types in different situations. A very simple exercise to help them understand the different types of talk used in the classroom, which is also is part of data collection in the maths National Curriculum is to complete an observational survey within their own classroom or in another classroom in the school. Following the children's own observations of the type of talk in school they might be asked to observe talk in different situations outside the school. This could give an opportunity for children to demonstrate their learning and understanding of the schedules used in class and create an ideal assessment opportunity for the teacher, as each child's schedule would show the level of understanding through the level of sophistication shown. Asking questions and giving answers are two important aspects of a learning process.
