Coordinated activity and common ground during group problem solving in biology

For groupwork to support learning it requires that students establish mutual knowledge, which is information that becomes shared among all group members. In this study, we analyzed the verbal interactions of two groups of high school students working on a color vision activity. Students within a group each wore different color-filtering goggles, and compared their individual perceptions to identify various colors they viewed together. Because the color-filtering goggles gave each student different information related to the task, sharing knowledge was necessary for successful color recognition. Our analysis was guided by the questions, how did students establish mutual knowledge through their talk? And, what types of knowledge were shared through these processes? We found that students were more inclined to explain—including providing warrants for their claims—when they used discussion moves such as asking each other questions, reacting to each other's statements, and incorporating multiple perspectives. Practical interventions designed to teach students to work productively in groups should attend to expectations around the content of students' talk in addition to the range of talk moves that students can use to contribute to a discussion.