Classroom Interaction

1. Interaction in Language
Classroom
Understanding the Language Classroom
March 2011

2. Interaction
What is interaction?
What types of interaction are there in
language classrooms?
Why is interaction important?
What theoretical frameworks are
available?
How can interaction help us understand
language learning processes?

3. Classroom Interaction
Mind Your Language
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtKqa
QZ2gaQ
Seedhouse (1996): Natural, and genuine,
or ‘typical’ and ‘traditional’ classroom
communication?

4. Why is L2 interaction important?
Interaction plays an important role in the
development of L2
Interaction shapes and facilitates L2
acquisition
Classroom interaction is one of the
primary ways in which learners obtain
data to construct their interlanguages
Successful pedagogy involves the
successful management of classroom
interaction

5. Interaction in action
Example 1:
T: What colour is this, Sarah?
S: blue
T: Is it blue or green?
S: em green
T: well done!
Example 2:
S: why he want this house?
T: why does he want this house?
S: yeah, why?
T: I don’t know. What do you think?

6. What shapes Interaction in a language
classroom?
pedagogic goals (what is to be taught)
methodological goals (how is it going to be
taught)
social goals (what kind of social relationship
is to encourage)
classroom settings and teacher action zone
Type of task being used
Students’ willingness to communicate
….
….

7. Characteristics of T-S interaction
T-
Natural, authentic and/or pedagogic
Teacher talk (motherese)
(motherese)
slower paced, clearly enunciated, and
syntactically less complex
Teacher questions
Display vs. authentic questions
IRF
IRF-
IRF-R
Feedback
Error-
Error-treatment interaction
Main question: How does interaction relate
to learning?

8. S-T interaction
Example 3:
T: and how do you get to the bank?
S: bank ?
T: yes. Can you tell me the way to the bank?
S: you go straight
T: straight, you mean straight along this road?
S: straight this road, den traffic light
T: oh, the traffic lights?
S: yeah
T: okay
S: and em (long pause)
T: straight along this road till the traffic lights
S: tir??
tir??
T: till, till the traffic lights
S: yes, till traffic light. And den right

9. Some Theoretical Perspectives
to Interaction
The Input Hypothesis (Krashen, 1980)
A Psycholinguistic Perspective (Long, 1991)
A Socio-cultural Perspective (Lantolf, 2000)
Socio-

10. The Input Hypothesis
Comprehensible input will bring language
acquisition about
Comprehensible input is (i + 1)
The interaction between language learner
and the comprehensible input is the
necessary condition for interlanguage to
develop

11. A Psycholinguistic Perspective
language acquisition is facilitated when learners
obtain comprehensible input
Comprehensible input results from the
opportunity to negotiate meaning (N of M) when
communication breakdown occurs
N of M helps learners process language and
learn through other ways of interaction such as
Feedback
Recast
confirmation checks
clarification requests

12. Interaction from a Psycholinguistics Perspective
Negotiation for Meaning (N for M)
Confirmation check:
Making sure that you have understood what the learner means
Comprehension check:
Making sure that the learner has understood what you mean
Clarification request:
Asking the learner to clarify their point by explaining or rephrasing
Repetition:
Repeating your words or those of the learner
Reformulation:
Rephrasing the content of what you have said
Backtracking:
Returning to a point in the conversation up to which you believe the learner
has understood you.
Recast:
Repeating a learner’s utterance correcting the error s/he has made

13. S-T interaction
Example 3:
T: and how do you get to the bank?
S: bank ?
T: yes. Can you tell me the way to the bank?
S: you go straight
T: straight, you mean straight along this road?
S: straight this road, den traffic light
T: oh, the traffic lights
S: yeah
T: okay
S: and em (long pause)
T: straight along this road till the traffic lights
S: tir??
T: till, till the traffic lights
S: yes, till traffic light. And den right

14. Interaction from a Socio-cultural
Socio-
Perspective
Social interaction influences development
Cognitive development is a life-long
life-
process dependent on social interaction
ZPD is the distance between the actual
development level and the level of
development as determined through
problem solving under adult/teacher
guidance or in collaboration with peers
Learning best takes place in ZPD

15. A Socio-cultural Perspective
Socio-
Learning is a socially situated activity
Learning occurs in and through interaction
Learners are not just processors of input or
producers of output: they are speaker/hearers
involved in developmental processes which are
realised in interaction
Guidance and collaboration (scaffolding) would
enable learners to do something she/he might
not have been able to do otherwise

16. References:
Ellis, R. (2000). Task-based research and language pedagogy. Language
Task-
Teaching Research, 4(3), 193-220.
193-
Gass, S. (2003). Input and interaction. In Doughty, C. & Long, M. (eds.) The
handbook of second language acquisition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition.
Oxford: Pergamon
Lantolf, J., & Appel, G. (1994). Vygotskyan approaches to second language
research. New Jersy: Albex.
Long, M. (1983). Linguistic and conversational adjustments to non-native
non-
speakers. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 5, 177-193.
177-
Lynch, T. (1996). Communication in the language classroom. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Ohta, A. (2000). Rethinking interaction in SLA: Developmentally appropriate
assistance in the zone of proximal development and the acquisition of L2
grammar. In J. Lantolf (ed.) Sociocultural theory and second language
learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Vygotsy, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.