Talk Factory Generic: Empowering secondary school pupils to construct and explore dialogic space during pupil-led whole-class discussions

•Investigates how Talk Factory Generic (TF-G) can be used in secondary schools.•Presents findings on how teacher can orchestrate their pupils’ use of TF-G.•Presents pupils’ reflections on the experience of using TF-G.•Concludes that Tf-G enhances participation, confidence and understanding of difference.•Suggests research is needed into how the TF-G app can be used on mobile devices.

This paper investigates how the application Talk Factory Generic (TF-G) can be used on an interactive whiteboard to empower 11–13 year old pupils to construct and explore dialogic space during pupil-led whole-class discussions. Findings suggest that use of TF-G needs to be orchestrated by teachers but that pupils can take responsibility for the exploration of dialogic space because they can use the dynamically unfolding representations in TF-G to monitor and guide their own progress. It is concluded that use of TF-G can enhance pupil participation, increase their confidence and help them to understand the value of exploring difference during science, mathematics and geography lessons. Future research includes investigating use of the TF-G app on mobile devices during outdoor learning activities.