Part One: Theorising Talk. 1. Talking about Text and the Culture of Literacy; D. Olson. 2. A Critical-pragmatic Theory of Classroom Talk; R. Young. 3. A Sociocultural Perspective on Classroom Discourse; E. Measures, et al. 4. Challenging and Changing: Communicative Competence and the Classroom; S. Grundy. 5. Ethnomethodological Studies of Talk in Educational Settings; C. Baker. 6. Poststructuralist Theory and Classroom Talk; N. Alloway, P. Gilbert. Part Two: Oral Language, Culture and Identity. 7. Oral Language, Culture and Class; A.D. Edwards. 8. Conversational Patterns Across Gender, Class and Ethnicity: Implications for Classroom Discourse; D. Tannen, et al. 9. Language Choice and Symbolic Domination; M. Heller. 10. Teacher-Pupil Talk in Multi-Ethnic Classrooms; V. Edwards. 11. Critical Oracy for Active Citizenship; R. Gilbert. 12. The Construction of Gendered Identity through Play; B. Davies. 13. The Construction of Gendered Identity through Classroom Talk; H. Bjerrum Nielsen, B. Davies. 14. Narrative and the Shaping of Identity; J. Golden. 15. The Construction of Social Competencies through Talk; J.L. Green, C.N. Dixon. 16. The Acquisition of Communicative Competence amongst Children with Language and Speech Impairment. 17. Classroom Discourse for the Making of Learning; C. Pontecorvo. 18. Effective Educational Talk; N. Mercer. 19. Preconditions for Successful Small-Group Talk in the Classroom; D. Westgate. 20. Children's Collaborative Talk; S. Lyle. 21. Interaction Patterns in University Education; V. de Klerk. 22. Children's Talk and Computers; P. Scrimshaw. 23. The Use of Talk in Mathematics; S. Pirie. 24. Discourse and Conceptual Understanding in Science; C. Boulter. 25. Using Oral Discourse in Literary Studies; J. McGonigal. Index.

This work examines spoken language as a field of study, looking at the various ways in which we can both theorize the place of talk in education, and examine the way talk is actually done in educational settings. It brings quite different and important perspectives to the study of education. It is relevant to teachers at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and for researchers interested in spoken language in educational contexts.