Talking in class

The titel of the text is: Talking in class: spaken language and effective learning..

By hearing this titel I had several different kinds of ideas for the subject that it could be containing. First off all I was thinking about my rapports of secundairy school. There was always on "You talk to much in class, be focused." So I realy wanted to know what this text has to say about it.

For example: Shut up, stop talking,... that are words we are so much more than just words. Saying to somebody that he needs to keep his mouth closed is like killing somebody... The same as saying your language is bad, you wont help him with it to say it, because offcourse the student will not be active anymore in your class.


A part of your academic language (see previous blog) will you get from school, but there are also children who get it from home and that are the children whit the best marks, children of teachers, they develope it more.

In the text they speak about a Skateboard- language. This is the example they give for explaining to the boy that its really important his language. He said it himeself "You can learn it by joining in" And at that point I think the porpuse of the text is accomplished, they boys understands it and now can work on it.

You can do this by:
reading: passive knowledge
talking: do you want to do it fluently? than practice it!
and off course ownership: the active knowledge that is speaking.

This can be developing by making space for it in class, to shape and reshape ideas, discussions.

Wittgenstein say in the text: "The borders of my language are the borders of my world".This sentence gave it a new perspective for me.. And indeed it is so, if you don't know a word that you need for a crossword than you keep thinking until you have it..

To show you that it realy is like wittgenstein says: the eskimo's have 7 words for melting snow. That is because they see it all the time.. If we wouldn't have a "regering" in a couple of months we also would have more then one word for it.

So talking is very important, we can help our pupils develope there language. other ways we are limiting them to develope there world a whe would put the borders at there world.