ABSTRACT
Science educator Douglas Barnes, listening to group work in science classrooms (Barnes, 1976), described hearing the sort of talk detailed above, in which children were hesitant in their thinking yet confident to speak out. Their views were aired and examined, and all seemed to be engaged in a joint quest for understanding. He described this as exploratory talk. Exploratory talk is talk in which everyone is invited to give their ideas and to challenge one another respectfully, share information, and give and ask for reasons. Contributions may be hesitant but children are confident to articulate their new thinking. There is active listening and interest in different points of view. Children are aware of the importance of the discussion and know that it is a strength to change their mind in response to a good reason or line of thinking. Everyone seeks to reach an agreement.
