Mercer, N., Dawes, L., Wegerif, R. and Sams, C. (2004) Reasoning
as a scientist: ways of helping children to use language to
learn science. British Educational Research Journal.30(3), pp.
359-377. 1469-3518. Sociocultural researchers have claimed that
students' learning of science is a discursive process, with
scientific concepts and ways of reasoning being learned through
engagement in practical enquiry and social interaction as well
as individualized activity. It is also often claimed that
interacting with partners while carrying out scientific
investigations is beneficial to students' learning and the
development of their understanding. The research we describe
investigated the validity of these claims and explored their
educational implications. An experimental teaching programme was
designed to enable children in British primary schools to talk
and reason together and to apply these skills in their study of
science. The results obtained indicate that (a) children can be
enabled to use talk more effective