International audienc

Gestion of oral communication in the sciences : the steering of the phase of the emergence of representations by a beginner teacher Claudine Garcia-Debanc Danielle Laurent This article describes the first stage of a research project on the practices of experienced and inexperienced teachers when managing oral interactions during a scientific process. The practices are described from a double perspective : linguistic and scientific. The activity of a teacher just starting in the profession is analysed, examining the ways in which the various dimensions of oral sessions are managed, particularly the interactions (management of the time of speech given to each child, of the introduction to the subject to be spoken about, of the progression from one sub-theme to another). This analysis shows how the teacher’s activity responds to the challenges posed during a phase where pupils express their ideas about digestion. The objective is to determine those observables that are necessary in order to be able to compare different modes of the management of oral communication, to describe what these modes require and to examine their relevance for the development of language skills in the sciences and the progression of conceptual understanding.