Classroom Discourse: The Language of Teaching and Learning

By Courtney B. Cazden

Book Overview

When Courtney Cazden wrote Classroom Discourse, she provided such a cogent picture of what the research tells us about classroom language that the book quickly became a classic and shaped an entire field of study. Although other books since have addressed classroom language, none has matched Cazden's scope and vision.

Now, thirteen years later, we've witnessed such significant changes in social and intellectual life that the subject of classroom discourse is more important than ever. So Cazden has revisited her classic text and integrated current perspectives and research. New features include: a new rationale for the importance of student-teacher talk: the importance of oral as well as written communication skills in today's occupations and current conceptions of knowledge and the way it is acquired rich new examples of talk in K-12 classroomsmath as well as language artswith transcriptions and analyses new findings from teacher researchers as well as university researchers new emphasis on achieving greater equity in what students learn new material on the kind of interactions computers offer new section on learning new forms of discourse as a significant educational goal for all students. Readers will emerge from the book with a better understanding of the significance of quality teacher-student talk and some of the most important research and researchers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0325003785
• ISBN13: 9780325003788
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.6" x 9.3"
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 12

Customer Reviews

An interesting, accessible read

Courtney Cazden has written an interesting book reviewing and explaining the research on educational discourse, or the exchanges between teachers and learners in the school environment and how they contribute to or inhibit learning. I wouldn't pick this up as a light book of choice, but as a required text for a graduate course, I find it helpful and easy to understand. She reminds the reader at the outset that she is both a teacher and a researcher, and it's obvious that her experience in the real world of the classroom contributes to making her writing so accessible and enjoyable.

Every Teacher Should Read This Book

Courtney Cazden's revised version (2001) of Classroom Discourse is as powerful as her original in 1988 and just as important for teachers. This edition is updated with recent research and examples from a wide range of educational settings. Language is the primary medium of teaching and learning, yet many teachers do not have the tools to examine their own ways of using language and those of the students they teach. Cazden helps us become conscious of the different kinds of discourse that teachers and children engage in and understand how teachers can foster classroom discourse that promotes the best learning.