The article begins with a reference to the pieces of work that Basil Bernstein considered to have been the landmarks of the evolution of his thought. This is followed by a detailed description of the two models that contain the main concepts of his theory – Model of Cultural Reproduction and Transformation and Model of Pedagogic Discourse – where the theoretical meaning of these models and concepts is explained and where are given some examples of how to put them into practice at the level of pedagogic texts and contexts. The article also includes the most recent developments of Bernstein’s thought by explaining his ideas about the forms discourses can take – Vertical and Horizontal Discourses. Finally, Bernstein’s theory is approached within the framework of the empirical research, highlighting his epistemological positioning and explicating the methodological model that he suggested should be the driving force of any theory.