First published in 1987, this book offers a radical departure from the traditionally individualistic psychologies which have underpinned modern approaches to educational theory and practice. The authors present a study of education as the creation of 'common knowledge' or shared understanding between teacher and pupils.

Preface and Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Approaches to classroom knowledge and talk 3. An ideology of teaching 4. Ground-rules of educational discourse 5. Context and continuity 6. Ritual and principle 7. Communication and control 8. Conclusions and implications 9. Appendix: Outline of the research project