Talk Matters: Refocusing the Language of Public Schooling

by Beatrice S. Fennimore

In this compelling volume, Beatrice Fennimore takes an original look at educational language—the language used in educational contexts and conversation—and the impact that it has on student outcomes. In exploring this topic, Fennimore addresses educational language in myriad contexts such as public schooling, teacher education programs, deficit terminology and labeling. The result is a powerful volume that inspires our thinking and impels us to consider historical resistance to equality. Seasoned with realistic examples, suggested activities to enhance understanding, and sample codes of ethics for respectful and democratic behavior in educational settings, this book has much to offer anyone interested in achieving clarity in the language of public schooling and promoting equal educational opportunity. “At last we have a book that addresses the role of language in how we think about learning and children. Beatrice Fennimore has written an important book about how we talk ourselves into education mistakes, and how we can talk ourselves out of them.”
- Neil Postman , Chairman of the Department of Culture and Communication at NYU
“Fennimore demonstrates the power of socio-cultural linguistics and ethnography to make the ‘invisible’ visible. This is a major contribution to theory, practice, and the beneficial use of applied linguistics to the processes of teaching and learning. For those who are puzzled about the meaning of culture and power in teaching and learning, here is a clearly written one-stop lesson.”
-- Dr. Asa G. Hilliard, III , Fuller E. Callaway Professor, Urban Education at Georgia State University

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

Reviews

[Sharon Rudyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books by Beatrice Fennimore. As a Cultural Anthropologist, I have found this book by Fennimore, in particular, to be helpful in applying theory to social processes. In this case, it is being applied to educational environments and contexts, but I think that the use of theory is unique. You can then consider how these same theoretical frameworks can be applied to medical anthropology, linguistics, political economy and social movements. I highly recommend this book for anthropologists and other cultural and social scholars who are interested in an innovative perspective on the work of Pierre Bourdieu and generally thinking about how the ways we talk about behavior, phenomenon and experience impact what is possible and outcomes.