Guided Construction of Knowledge

Neil Mercer is Reader and Director of the Centre for Language and Communications in the School of Education at the Open University. He is a psychologist whose research has mainly been on the everyday use of language in education and training, and in the course of this research he has worked closely with teachers and occupational trainers in the UK and with researchers in Europe and Latin America. He wrote 'Common Knowledge: The Development of Understanding in the Classroom' with Derek Edwards (Methuen/Routledge, 1987), was joint director with John Elliot of the SLANT (Spoken Language and New Technology) project and chaired the development of the Open University's first distance-education MA (Education) course on language and literacy. He has taught a variety of subjects to learners of varied ages and backgrounds.

• Preface1. What the Book is About 2. Ways of Talking3. Guidance Strategies4. The Learner's Angle5. A Theory of Practice6. Talking and Working Together7. Teachers, Researchers and the Construction of Knowledge