Talked Images: Examining the Contextualised Nature of Image Use

This article describes the uses of video data analysis in studying processes of meaning construction of disciplinary concepts in a biology class. We highlight the contributions of video data analysis, oriented by an interactional ethnographic approach, to understanding how visual representations of biological concepts were talked into being (Dixon & Green, 2005 Dixon, C. and Green, J. L. 2005. “Studying the discursive construction of texts in classrooms through interactional ethnography”. In Multiple perspectives on literacy research, 2nd, Edited by: Beach, R., Green, J. L., Kamil, M. and Shanahan, T. 349–390. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. [Google Scholar]). We demonstrate how the video data records supported the development of a topic-oriented study of language use in a biology classroom that (a) acknowledges the local historical processes and (b) makes visible the indexed nature of language use in the classroom and its implication for constructing opportunities for learning scientific concepts. This study was developed in a high school classroom of a Brazilian public school attended by working-class students.