Talk and the Teacher: The Role of Story

Abstract

James Britton and Douglas Barnes have been prominent in drawing attention to the importance of classroom talk in the education of children. They consider that talk by pupils is vital since it makes them conceptualize in terms of language. They advance the suggestion that teachers detract from this process by sometimes employing a mode of language which is too difficult for the pupils to understand. In addition they believe that teachers talk too much themselves, thereby limiting pupils' opportunities to talk. Bamcs and Britton are also to be differentiated by their different emphases, the former concentrating upon subject-centred talk and the latter upon generalized talk and chatter or gossip. The present writer accepts all these positions but considers that talk which is based upon narrative or story reading and story telling provides in every way a more helpful and more significant vehicle for the formation and articulation of concepts by children.