Theoretical linguistics in the pre-university classroom

Drawing together expertise across Linguistics and Education through non-hierarchical collaboration between educators and researchers in schools and universities, the volume examines how introducing theoretical linguistics into primary and secondary education could radically transform how languages, grammar and, by extension, the human mind itself, are encountered in classrooms. Theoretical linguistics reorients the pursuit of language skills by moving beyond instrumental acquisition to intellectual discovery, and is ideally placed to develop transversal skills and cross-curricular learning. The work offers a panorama of international perspectives which interrogate the conceptual and empirical motivations for (cross-)curricular change, focusing on the impact and replicability of existing ‘grassroots’ initiatives and how these might be developed and connected to effect systemic change on wider scales. To maximise the volume’s reach to an audience including teachers, trainees, policymakers and other specialist/non-specialist stakeholders, every chapter offers actionable recommendations for policy change and/or teaching practice written in accessible language.