Oral or written requests to students to self-explain important aspects in a task at hand (e.g. self-explanation prompts) has proven to increase learning. Research about such prompts has mainly been implemented with cognitive perspectives focused on the individual. In this paper, we suggest an alternative analytical framework grounded in a sociocultural theory. This framework is valuable because it adapts to the individual learning process as well as to the learning process that takes place in group work. In addition, this framework contributes valuable guidance to the teacher and to authors of teaching materials as well as to researchers in mathematics education. The analytical framework is explained in relation to an example task. An excerpt from student group work is also discussed.