Using language and students' relationship to authority to understand the learning process

In this presentation, the authors describe work aimed at understanding student learning in the early stages of their professional education. The role of language-that of the teacher and that used by students during the learning process-is an important factor in understanding learning. The students' relationship to authority can also be an important indicator of their intellectual development. Their work probes these effects and suggests how as teachers, one can approach the limits in student learning. They use transcripts and/or video of student groups, and written student work from project reports and exams as evidence for their analysis.