The Questioning Child, the Questioning Teacher

This text is about language, culture and classroom interaction with a particular focus on the use of questions for learning. The title is intentionally ambiguous to include questioning the child and questions from the child. The book discusses practical ways of improving teachers' questions to children, the development of children's own questions in learning, and critical aspects of responding to the language and learning contexts of the classroom. Research is included on why teachers ask questions and why learners often do not ask. The use of language in a range of curriculum contexts is discussed and a number of examples of classroom dialogue are given, including examples from East and South East Asia and the Middle East. This emphasizes the use of language in diverse contexts. The book introduces the concept of culture of learning: culture is importantnot only as background on multicultural classrooms but as a major influence on the ways of learning. Learning is thus mediated by both language and culture. The focus on questions highlights these connections.