Frances Christie is Emeritus Professor of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Melbourne and Honorary Professor of Education and Linguistics at the University of Sydney. She began her work in education as a secondary teacher of English and history in Australia and the UK and has taught language and literacy education at several universities in Australia. Her major research interests are in English language and literacy. She uses the systemic functional grammar to explore writing development, the relationship of talk and writing, teaching about language, and development of pedagogic grammar.

“The “Summaries of Matters Discussed in This Section” that appear intermittently throughout the book help to keep readers on task in developing a deep understanding of the functionality of language.  Summing Up: Recommended.  Graduate, research, and professional collections.”  (Choice, 1 November 2012)

• Series Editor's ForewardAcknowledgementsChapter 1: A Language Theory for Educational PracticeChapter 2: Early Childhood: The Initial Challenges of School LearningChapter 3: Late Childhood to Early Adolescence: Some Transitional YearsChapter 4: The Years of Midadolescence: Dealing with Abstract KnowledgeChapter 5: Late Adolescence to Adulthood: Engaging with Theoretical KnowledgeChapter 6: The Overall Trajectory in Language Learning in SchoolReferencesIndex