Elizabeth Grugeon is Senior Lecturer in English in Primary Education at the School of Education, De Montfort University, Bedford; Lorraine Hubbard is Senior Lecturer in English in Primary Education at De Montfort University, Bedford; Carol Smith is currently a literacy consultant working for Milton Keynes Learning and Development Directorate; Lyn Dawes is currently Education Officer for software at the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA).

• Introduction.  Speaking and Listening: An Overview.  Talk in the Early Years.  Listening to Children's Talk.  Developing Articulate Readers.  Developing Children's Oral Skills at Key Stage 2.  Speaking, Listening and Thinking with Computers.  Developing Children's Oral Skills through Drama.  Monitoring and Assessing Speaking and Listening in the Classroom.  Epilogue