Length Times Width or What is a Square Meter? Elements of Children's Explanation Didactics!

Abstract

In many respects, the conversation reflects the manners of the social roles of teachers and pupils. Remarkable here are the numerous strategies of politeness as well as formulae organising talk. The younger brother’s process of understanding proceeds in several phases, whereby in particular the abstraction of the size of the area causes problems, reflected e.g. in the comment on the drawing accompanying the talk: but a square is not 1 meter (R 49). On the other hand, we see an unexpected degree of reflection on the process of understanding. The older brother's patient use of different creative explanatory strategies reveals a high degree of didactic competence.