Analysing Classroom Interaction

Analysing classroom interaction as a means

of researching practice

Teacher Competence

Data Analysis

Kieran Harrington

June 2007

Teacher Competence

►Unconscious competence

►Unconscious incompetence

►Conscious competence

►Conscious incompetence

Data analysis

►Extract A

►Extract B

IRF

Conversation

IRF

►Initiation-Response-Feedback (Coulthard and Sinclair)

T: What’s the capital of England?

S: London

T: Good

IRF extended

T: What’s the capital of England? I

S: Manchester R

T: No, Lo… F

S: London R

T: London, good F

Conversation

Genuine communication is characterized by:

► Negotiation of meaning (through, for example, clarification

requests and confirmation checks),

► Topic nomination and negotiation by more than one speaker,

► Markers that support acceptance of topic, development and joint construction – “great”, “yeah”, “wow”

► Equality or symmetry of participation

Extract A

► Examine Extract A and note down any aspects of interest (for example, study what happens to S1’s contribution).

► Give particular consideration the IRF patterns

► If you were this teacher, what lessons might you draw from this extract?

The two sentences

Stop to fill up the car

Stop filling up the car

Immediate response

19 lines of talk haven’t really cleared up the meaning

The “parts”

► 01-03 the teacher sets up the question

► 04-08 the teacher asks a question, gets answers and responds;

► 08-11 The teacher reformulates the question;

► 12-15 There is a series of exchanges between teacher and students in response to the reformulated question;

► 16-20 the teacher repeats the question and the pattern of 12-15 is repeated.

Specific Note

►One of the most striking features of this extract,, is the way that S1 moves from using a grammatically correct form (“Not the same”) to a grammatically incorrect one (“Not same”).

►Why?

IRF and unclear feedback

► 04 T: Now do they mean the same thing? I

► 05: S1: Er ..no R

► 06: S2: Yes R

► 07: Not the same R

► 08: ((name)) Not the same. You F

► 09: think the same or not the same

The Feedback

Here, the teacher repeats the response but then

immediately addresses the question to the student

again. In terms of IRF, this indicates

that the response is not the one required. S1 has

every reason to believe that “Not the same” is

unacceptable in some way

Student 1

►In the final part of the extract S1 has dropped out altogether and it is left to a new participant (S3) to provide the correct response which S1 had originally provided in line. Again, the teacher repeats the response, and the extract ends with the ambiguity of S2’s “No”:

Extract B

Particpants:

Teacher

Ivan, Russian

Anna, Russian

Davor, Croatian,

Joy, Nigerian

Heather, Nigerian

Examine Extract B and note

down any points of interest

around initiation of the topic

(s), what i the topics/are ,

who is taking part, if there is

support for the topics, and if

there is equality or symmetry

of participation

Conversation

Conversation 1 Lines 5-40

Topic: Don’t worry be happy

Initiator: Teacher

Sub-topics: Writer, if dead, nationality, happiness

Initiators of sub-topics: Ivan, Brane, Teacher

Contributors: Ivan, Davor, Anna, Teacher

Support: Ivan, Davor

Immediate Response

►Nigerians don’t take part in conversations

►Equality/ symmetry?

Supportive contributions

26 Ivan: A very good song

30 Ivan: Yeah

34 Ivan: Yep

01 T: Now, I’m going to write TWO sentences on the board and

02 please tell me what they mean

03 ((T writes on board; students whisper what they see.)) 04 T: Now DO they mean the same thing?

05 S1: Er .. no

06 S2: Yes

07 S1: Not the same

[

08 T: ((name)) Not the same. You think the same or

09 not the same? Hello! Come in. Stop to fill in- up the car.

10 Stop filling up the car. Do they mean the same or do they

11 mean something-?

12 S2: Yes not same

[

13 S1: Not same. Not same=

14 T: =Not the same=

15 S1: =Not same=

16 T: =What do you think? D’you think the same?

[

17 S2: Not same. Not same.

18 S3: Not the same=

19 T: =Not the same=

20 S2: =No

Extract A

01 T: Not yet? Take your time ya. Don’t worry don’t

02 worry be happy.

03 Ivan: Very good song

04 T: What?

05 Ivan: Very good song

06 T: Do you know that song?

07 Davor: [he is dead

08 T: Who is dead?

09 Davor: This man. I don’t know. I heard he dead. A song

10 Ivan: [ A song

11 T: The man who sang the song?

12 Davor: Yes, I think. The man who sang the song

13 T: Marvin Gaye?

14 Davor: I think. One or two years ago

15 T: One or two years ago?

16 Davor: [ ( )

17 T. Was he American…American?

18 Davor: I think he was…. yeah. ( ) I forget you

19 know

20 Ivan: Why are you so ( ) the song?

21 T: Ah I know the song, but I don’t know who wrote it

22 Ivan: It’s an old one to my mind, it’s ( )

23 T: You don’t know who wrote that song? No

24 Anna: ( )

25 Davor: I don’t know

26 Ivan: A very good song

27 T: Don’t worry be happy

28 Ivan: Music and ( )

29 T: That’s very eas … easy to sing, no?

30 Ivan: Ya

31 T: Very easy to say you know

32 Ivan: Ya

33 T: It’s very easy to say don’t worry be happy

34 Ivan: Yep

35 Davor: So be happy

36: Ivan: Be happy is far away

37: T: Okay Alex. the next word.

Extract B