Linguistics at School: Language Awareness in Primary and Secondary Education

Description

Linguistics is a subject that has remained largely confined to the academy, rather than being integrated into school curricula. This is unfortunate but not surprising, as although some teacher education programs include courses on linguistics, it is not comprehensively integrated into teacher education, so it is largely absent from the curriculum. This volume brings together a team of leaders in the field of linguistics and education, to provide an overview of the current state of research and practice. It demonstrates changes which can be made to teaching, such as revising teacher's preparation, developing and implementing practical applications of linguistics in both primary and secondary classrooms, partnering linguists with classroom teachers, and working to improve state and national education standards. The contributors emphasize the importance of collaboration between professional linguists and educators in order to meet a common goal: to raise awareness of the workings of language.

Kristin Denham is Associate Professor of English and Linguistics at Western Washington University. Her work includes articles on theoretical syntax and linguistics in education and she is co-editor with Anne Lobeck of Language in Schools: Integrating Linguistic Knowledge into K-12 Education (2005). Denham and Lobeck are also co-authors of Linguistics for Everyone: An Introduction (2009). Anne Lobeck is Professor of English and Linguistics at Western Washington University. Her work includes articles on theoretical syntax and linguistics in education, and in addition to her two books with Kristin Denham she is author of Ellipsis: Functional Heads, Licensing and Identification (1995) and Discovering Grammar: An Introduction to English Sentence Structure (2000).

'I warmly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in the combination of linguistics and school, a fascinating topic.' The LINGUIST List