> This wasn't one guided conversation - this was months of them.

Yes, complex topics often require prolonged discussion. "Conversation" can imply an active exchange over the course of time.

> And the children were being recorded and their answers analyzed regularly.

If you had read the article, you would know that the initial conversation was recorded so the teachers could take notes.

Taking notes and analyzing students' answers is literally part of the job description of a teacher. Teachers are not babysitters, they're educators.