“Book talks are an undemanding way to report on something” : Four teachers’ experiences of book talks with pupils aged ten to twelve years

Book talks have become widespread in school as they are considered to be beneficial for pupils’ potential to develop their analytical and communicative skills. The study aims to investigate book talks from a teacher’s perspective in order to compare different teachers’ experiences of book talks in relation to research. To explore this, interviews were conducted with four teachers who have experience of book talks in the intermediate level of compulsory school. To identify the teachers’ perspectives on book talks and what they value in the method, their interviews were analysed, among other things, in relation to Michael Tengberg’s concept of readings and Louise Rosenblatt’s theory of efferent and aesthetic reading. The result shows that the teachers’ descriptions of the conversations encompass a variety of readings and reading activities. They choose to highlight different themes from the literature, ranging from questions of basic values to word comprehension. The teachers support their pupils through scaffolding in the conversations so that they can potentially develop new knowledge and become more autonomous in their way of working. Autonomy in the conversations among older pupils can also be identified as a difference between grades four and six. The teachers think that book talks are rewarding because the pupils have a chance to speak and share each other’s experiences. The challenges include finding good books and getting the pupils to feel a sense of engagement