Educationally valuable talk (EVT)

Educationally valuable talk (EVT) is a term coined by Sedef Uzuner in 2007. It refers to a particular instructional pattern in online discussion threads characterized as dialogic exchanges whereby participants collaboratively display constructive, and at times, critical engagement with the ideas or key concepts that make up the topic of an online discussion, and build knowledge through reasoning, articulation, and reflection.

Educationally valuable talk (EVT) is an evolving construct, but the underlying basis for this notion remains firmly girded in Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory of learning as well as Mercer's concept of "exploratory talk" (1994).

In opposition to educationally valuable talk (EVT), Sedef Uzuner also coined the term educationally less valuable talk (ELVT) to refer to talk that lacks substance in regards to critical and meaningful engagement with formal content or the ideas that are put forward in the posts of others in an online discussion.

References

* Mercer, N. (1994). The quality of talk in children's joint activity at the computer. "Journal of Computer Assisted Learning", 10, 24-32.
* Uzuner, S. (2007). Educationally valuable talk: A new concept for determining the quality of online conversations. "Journal of Online Learning and Teaching", 3(4), 400- 410. http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no4/uzuner.htm
* Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). "Thought and Language". Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (Original work published 1934)