“We can make our words powerful”: students’ perspectives about using Talk Factory, a classroom technology to support exploratory talk

ABSTRACT Previous research suggests that students can use exploratory talk to support their thinking and learning. However, students’ own perspectives on such talk, and whether/how they value it, are rarely sought. Thirty 12-year-olds and their teacher used Talk Factory on an interactive whiteboard and iPads to support exploratory talk in English lessons twice/week for five weeks. Four focal students took photographs and chose words that described their feelings; their responses were discussed in two interviews together with their experiences of the lessons. These students were video recorded whilst presenting their experiences and opinions to the class. Thematic analysis of the interviews identified four themes: how students adopted exploratory talk, challenges they faced, ownership of their discussions, and the value of mobilising their ideas. The students described feeling more empowered, more engaged, and how they valued the exploration of difference.