This book examines new functional approaches to language and education, and the impact of these on literacy in the classroom. The first section looks at issues of multimodality, in which the definition of a text is expanded to include not only that which is written down, but also the interaction of writing, graphics, and audiovisual material. The contributors explores ways in which language education can be expanded to deal with multimodal discourse, whether in children's books, in textbooks, or on the web. The second section looks at how critical discourse analysis and appraisal theory can be used as tools for assessing the effectiveness of student writing and literacy achievement, and also for helping developing writers to write more successfully. The final section argues that corpus-based studies of language have changed the way we see language, and that the way we teach language should evolve in line with these changes.

This appealing survey of new directions in language and education includes contributions from internationally renowned scholars. It will be of interest to researchers in systemic functional linguistics, or language and education.

1. An introduction to language and literacy, Rachel Whittaker, Anne McCabe and Mick O'Donnell
Part I: Multimodality and Education
2. Meaning, learning and representation in a Social  Semiotic approach to Multimodal Communication, Gunther Kress
3. Children's picture book narratives. reading sequences of images, Clare Painter
4. Popular culture in the classroom: interpreting and creating multimodal texts, Katina Zammit
5. Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis approach to mathematics, grammar and literacy, Kay O'Halloran
6. Multiliteracies for academic purposes: multimodality in textbook and computer-based learning materials in science at university, Janet Jones
Part II: Discourse Analysis and Education

7. Applying a Critical Systemic-Functional Literacy Frame in a UK secondary education context, David Hyatt

8. Using Appraisal Theory to track interpersonal development in adolescent academic writing, Beverly Derewianka

9. Constructing an effective 'voice' in academic discussion writing: an appraisal theory perspective, Elizabeth Swain
10. Arguing in and across disciplinary boundaries: legitimising strategies in applied linguistics and cultural studies, Susan Hood

11. On the 'internal dialogue' between an examination task and pre-university students' responses, Bodil Hedeboe

12. A discourse analytical study of decontextualization and literacy, Inger Lassen

Part III: Corpus Linguistics and Education

13. Exposure, expectations and probabilities: implications for language learning, Gordon Tucker

14. Grammar patterns and literacy, Susan Hunston