Interactivity: the most direct route to learning is to be found in the interactivity between teachers and students and amongst the students themselves. Engagement: students are most engaged by content they have created themselves Dialogic processes: learning is social and dialogic, where knowledge is co-constructed Scaffolded conversations: learning takes place through conversations, where the learner and teacher co-construct the knowledge and skills Emergence: language and grammar emerge from the learning process. This is seen as distinct from the 'acquisition' of language.