1. Introduction and mapping the area
2. Learning as a social activity and the place of oracy
3. Typical features of whole class interaction
4. Creating a dialogic classroom
5. Promoting productive peer talk and collaboration
6. Classroom talk and the twenty-first century learner
7. Conclusion: implications for practice
Biography
Val Poultney is an experienced teacher educator who has worked in partnership with a number of schools, specialising in evidence-based teaching. She is particularly interested in school leadership and school governance, with a focus on how to develop leadership to support teachers as researchers. Currently a senior lecturer at the University of Derby, she teaches on both initial teacher education and postgraduate programmes.
Rupert Knight was a primary school teacher in London and Nottingham before moving into higher education. He is now Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, working with student teachers and practicing teachers in England and overseas. His research interests include the relationship between theory and practice in learning to teach.
This book is an invaluable guide to understanding the big ideas that shape current conversations about the role of talk in the classroom. Expertly distilling research and theory into an accessible and thought-provoking text and aided with real case studies and examples, Knight orientates the reader in key debates and explores their implications for practice in depth.
Whether you're a teacher exploring classroom talk for the first time, an oracy enthusiast already or a school leader wanting to develop a culture of talk across your school, this book is guaranteed to prompt new insights, practices and conversations which will enable you to use classroom talk with greater confidence and skill.
Alice Stott, Voice 21
