I will not be concerned here further with such direct applications of studies
of classroom discourse, but will discuss whether it is possible to combine an
increased understanding of teacher-pupil interaction with an increased
understanding of language in general. Ideally, a linguistic approach to
classroom discourse would: sensitise teachers to the complex but orderly
nature of classroom dialogue; improve their teaching via this increased
sensitivity; provide them with a firmer theoretical basis for understanding
their own professional behaviour in the classroom; and provide them with a
theoretically interesting account of an important aspect of language. This is
undoubtedly too tall an order to be fulfilled on many teacher-training
courses, and in the next section I will discuss what might be possible with
reference to part of a second in-service training course which I have
prepared.