ABSTRACT
Schools can be thought of as societies within a society. They have effects on students which are additional to more general influences from the education system, such as the curriculum. This chapter focuses on how schools are organised, how school cultures develop and how teachers and students interact in classrooms. The Western school, including elementary and secondary types, was introduced by missionaries and colonial governments to Africa. Part of the teacher's task, therefore, is not simply to instruct students but also to apply some sociology to understand the group structure of the class. One of the main reasons for the dominance of classroom discussion by teachers is the use of language for social control. Social control, or the maintenance of discipline in the classroom, is one of the major preoccupations of teachers.
