ABSTRACT
The language used by teachers in the classroom is a major element of a vital communication
system: classroom discourse. This chapter will discuss some of the many ways in which
classroom discourse frames learning. Teacher-pupil talk is the medium through which
learners encounter so much of the curriculum. It is the medium for classroom organisation,
management and control; a medium for socialisation into schooling and culture. Teacher-
pupil talk is the major means through which children develop their literacy skills which, in
turn, they will use for so much other learning.
