Language in Science and Technology Education

Abstract

Students should be granted opportunities to practice the language of science. This chapter presents a holistic understanding of language in science and technology education by discussing different frameworks in the field. The chapter emphasizes the role of language in learning and knowledge construction processes. In particular, it focuses on the nature of talk in science classrooms and how different interactions between teachers and students contribute to students’ learning. The chapter also highlights classroom practices for how language is used in science and technology activities. Several studies suggest that dialogic conversations and discussions should be encouraged in the classroom. This suggestion leads us to consider teachers’ classroom interactional competence and the role of language in assessment.KeywordsConversation analysisDiscourse analysisClassroom interactional competenceSociocultural theorySTEM education