When Courtney Cazden wrote Classroom Discourse, she provided such a cogent picture of what the research tells us about classroom language that the book quickly became a classic and shaped an entire field of study. Although other books since have addressed classroom language, none has matched Cazden's scope and vision.

Now, thirteen years later, we've witnessed such significant changes in social and intellectual life that the subject of classroom discourse is more important than ever. So Cazden has revisited her classic text and integrated current perspectives and research. New...