Language, the Learner and the School

The central theme is the simple truth that teachers communicate both information and values to their students, and do so almost exclusively through language. It is based on research using transcripts of actual lessons to show how questions demanding factual (rather than reasoned) answers are used-if not overused-in arts subjects, and how science teachers can learn to avoid vocabulary which is too abstract or technical. Stress on proper English can inhibit non-middle-class children from expressing themselves in the kind of language they use at home, while learning for all too many students means guessing what answers the teacher expects. More basically, do some teachers talk too much in class? The final section makes important recommendations on the major issue of language across the curriculum-what sort of language is really appropriate in multicultural schools? This classic text is being reissued with a new introduction by Douglas Barnes.