"Think-alouds", "word-wow moments", "thumbs up", "camera cameos", "think, prepare, share" are all part of the rich variety of strategies for expanding oral language in the classroom that Jannie van Hees describes. Her book is about why, and how, teachers can realistically create and construct conditions that provide opportunities for each student's oral language development. On one level, it is a practical journey towards optimised language engagement and contribution by each member of the classroom community. On another level, it is a journey of endless possibilities.
The book draws on two main sources:
- current research and practice-based evidence across a number of relevant disciplines
- the writer's own classroom-based practice and research, and her ongoing work with teachers and students.
As the journey unfolds, not only does a rationale for particular oral language pedagogical priorities become evident, but teachers are also offered a range of practical, explicit ways to implement these.