Making Meaning in Classrooms through Exploratory Talk

Douglas Barnes is formerly a Reader in Education at the University of Leeds, UK.Tony Burgess is formerly a Reader in Education at the UCL Institute of Education, University of London, UK.John Richmond is a former Visiting Professor at the University of Nottingham, UK.

‘Douglas Barnes is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and influential writers of the past 50 years on language and learning as a key educational movement. This book is a timely and well-curated introduction to his work, as well as being an excellent overview of it. Thoroughly recommended for anyone and everyone attuned to rich classroom practice, learners learning, and curriculum possibility in the 21st century.’Bill Green, Emeritus Professor of Education, Charles Sturt University, Australia ‘This impressive collection of writings by Douglas Barnes throughout his career has arrived to inspire a new generation of teachers and teacher educators. The collection will quickly open the eyes of those learning to teach to the complexities of thinking and writing about one’s teaching. All who wish to understand the challenges of teaching will benefit greatly from reading it.’Tom Russell, Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University, Canada ‘This book is terrific. It offers us, for the first time, a carefully curated and edited collection of the work of a very important and influential educational researcher.’Professor Neil Mercer, Oracy Cambridge, Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge

• List of figuresAbout the author and editorsAcknowledgementsNote of appreciationIntroductionPrelude: Shall we play the anthropologist? Part One: Talking to learn Chapter 1 Why talk is importantChapter 2 ‘The role of talk in learning’Chapter 3 ‘School knowledge and action knowledge’Chapter 4 ‘Supporting exploratory talk for learning’Chapter 5 ‘The politics of oracy’Part Two: Classroom connections Chapter 6 ‘The language of instruction’Chapter 7 The limitations of teacher-directed whole-class ‘discussion’Chapter 8 Small-group talk including a teacher’s intervention: some success?Part Three: Small-group talk: a study in collaboration Chapter 9 ‘Making the recordings’Chapter 10 ‘Collaboration in the groups’Part Four: Literacy Chapter 11 ‘Teachers’ attitudes to written work: transmission and interpretation’Chapter 12 ‘Reading and writing as social action’Chapter 13 ‘The ground rules of school writing’Part Five: CurriculumChapter 14 Two points of view on the content of the curriculumChapter 15 The manifest and the hidden curriculumChapter 16 The intended and the effective curriculumChapter 17 ‘Studying communication or studying language?’Part Six: Teacher agency Chapter 18 ‘The teacher’s control of knowledge’Chapter 19 ‘The significance of teachers’ frames for teaching’Chapter 20 ‘Teaching styles’Chapter 21 Active learningChapter 22 The PEEL project — teachers reflecting on their own practiceConclusion