It ain't what you say, it's the way that you say it: The role of pragmatics in A Level English Language students' learning conversations during collaborative writing using a computer

By focusing on some of the pragmatic features of two A Level students' learning conversations, I explore ways in which they make meaning while working together to produce shared reading on a computer. I argue that the widely used theory of 'exploratory talk' might not always explain how learners make sense of each other to develop their ideas. While recognising that this research needs further development, I show how subtle, nuanced ways of making meaning can bring about 'constructive talk' which develops the students' collaborative learning activities.