Too often, in discussing the teaching of English, language teachers behave as if language were the most important factor in the classroom. The author thinks this is seldom the case. Language teachers need to see English as essentially an educative subject, linked to the cognitive development of learners, rather than as something isolated from the rest of the curriculum. Unfortunately, in many classrooms throughout the world, little true education takes place. Instead, there is rote learning of material irrelevant to the learners' interests. Language teachers need to be aware of the educational potential of English in such circumstances. To fully realize this potential they need to look outside the confines of English language teaching itself. There is now a considerable body of work that focuses on the conditions under which children learn most effectively. This work relates both to the internal processes involved in apprehending and storing information and to the most favorable conditions for the operation of these processes. In this article, the author considers the relevance of this work to the teaching of English. He deals with it under five main headings: (1) reduction of coercion; (2) active learner involvement; (3) experience before interpretation; (4) avoidance of oversimplification; and (5) the value of silence. [This article was first published in Volume 18, No. 3 (1980).]