ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews in greater detail evidence from psychological, neuroscientific and pedagogical research on the vital role of talk in children’s thinking, learning and social development, and the consequent need for teachers at every level of education to strive to enrich its quality. Yet the well-documented persistence of recitation, overt or disguised, reminds us that this need is still not as willingly or effectively addressed as it should be, while the chapter’s cautionary tale of recent curricular and pedagogical initiatives reminds us that language in education, and talk in particular, have always carried a political charge.
