What are the features of supportive
teacher talk in speaking classes?
Le Nu Cam Le, M.A
Hanoi University of Science and Technology
lncamle@gmail.com
Introduction
to the research
context
Literature
review
Research
design
Conclusion
Introduction
Research context
- Speaking classes in Advanced Program
- 15 weeks: 02 lessons/ week of 180 mins.
- In-house course book ‘Speaking naturally’
Objectives of the course:
 to provide students with the opportunities to be exposed
to and perform appropriate language functional phrases
 to develop students’ basic oral communication skills at
intermediate level
 to get students used to initial ideas of teamwork
Literature review

Teacher talk (TT): quantity and quality
Previous research focus on TT quantity
- Recent research: TT quality, relationship between TT &
learning opportunities, & the interconnection between TT
and pedagogical purposes (Lee & Ng, 2009; Walsh, 2006,
2003, 2002; Seedhouse, 2004, 1997; Gil 2002;
Kumaravadivelu, 1999; Kumaravadivelu,1999; Cullen, 1998;
Johnson, 1995 and so on)
- Quality more important than quantity, TT must be closely
linked to the moment by moment agendas and institutional
goal of the lesson
- TT: creates learning opportunities/ potentials, controls content
and procedure, discussion topic and students’ participation
-

Second language classroom contexts
Dynamic and constantly shifting, Ts need to make use of
appropriate teacher talk based on pedagogical goals to
enhance learning & learning opportunities as they are only
maximized when teachers are sufficiently in control of their
language use (Lee &Ng, 2009; Walsh, 2006, 2003, 2002;
van Lier, 1996).
- Seedhouse (2004): four classroom contexts: Form &
accuracy, meaning & fluency contexts, task-oriented, and
procedural contexts
-
- Walsh (2006) coins the term mode as ‘a L2 classroom
microcontext that has a clearly defined pedagogic goal
and distinctive interactional features determined largely by
a teacher’s use of language’. He identifies four modes:
procedural, materials, skills and systems and classroom
context modes
Research design
Research questions:
 What are the different classroom contexts/ modes in
speaking lessons?
 In what ways do teachers, through their use of
language, support learning speaking within these
modes?
Data collection
 Five lessons to be video/audio recorded as five and
ten lessons in classroom research are reasonable
database (Seedhouse, 2004)
 Recordings are transcribed according to CA
conventions
Data analysis
Multilayered analysis: CA and the Self Evaluation
of Teacher Talk Framework (SETT)
CA: features of interaction: turn-taking, repair &
sequential organization based on teaching goals
SETT framework: interaction patterns, modes and
their interactional features according to pedagogic
aims
Findings and discussion
Classroom context modes
a. Managerial mode
1.
Pedagogical goals: organize a task,
summarize a particular stage of a lesson and
the whole lesson, refer learners to material,
manage learning and verify the procedures
TT: single, extended teacher turn, transitional
markers, confirmation check, display question
(absence or little presence of learner
contributions)
Extract 1: T: Good morning (1). Last time we
took unit what, unit 9, right? You learnt how
to make suggestion, giving advice and
expressing enthusiasm, right? So today we
are going to look at unit 10, right? Good. Unit
10.
Extract 2: T: All right, so we’ve practiced
giving advice and providing suggestions. We
are now moving to enthusiasm. You are
going to talk to your friend about plan for the
weekend. So student A will be looking at
page 77, and student B will look at page 108,
108. 108 is in the appendix
b. Materials mode
Pedagogical goals: to enable language
practice from materials & elicit responses
TT: extended wait-time, clarification request,
teacher echo, scaffolding, direct repair and
display question
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
T Could you please use any of these expressions
(points to the book) and also these (points to the
board) and give me some expressions or advices.
L1 Have you ever thought of changing your job? =
T =Have you ever thought of changing your job? Very
good, yes, ah, already once already…, but I couldn’t give
up my job now. Thank you. Another please (3)
L2 If I were you, I would take some extra…
T If I were you, I would take some? (1)
L2 I mean that you should take some extra classes=
T = take extra classes? Why do I have to take classes,
to study more? (3)
L2 No, no, I mean you should give some extra classes=
T oh, I see, give some extra classes, but why? (2)
L2 to earn more
c. Skills and system mode:
Pedagogical goals: provide language
practice to use appropriate functional
phrases
TT: scaffolding, clarification requests, direct
repair, teacher echo and display question.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
T Can you make a sentence using uh…to compare about
uh…yesterday’s weather and today’s weather? (2)
L1 Today’s hotter than yesterday
T Right. Thank you. Ok, compare your study at university
and your study at high school.
L2 Studying in university is... [more hard] than in high school
T [harder]. Anything else?
L3 Studying in university more comfortable than in high
school
T Ok, but why is that?
L3 Uh... the classroom is bigger, (2) the class time is more
flexible... we
don’t have to go to class every day and (2) the teacher is
easier, not check attendance all the time
T Very good. Now, what do you know about the UK and the
USA? Can we now talk about the similarities?
2. Features of teacher talk that
supports learning
Teachers’ use of interactional features (IF) and
pedagogic focus
- TT are congruent with pedagogical focus. Long or short TT:
not relevant and not the determinant of supporting or not
supporting students’ learning’ (Liu 2008: 88)
- Quality and relevance to context decide learning opportunities
b. Ability to handle mode switching and mode side sequence
- popular mode switch: managerial – skills and systems
managerial /and materials – skills and systems – materials.
- mode movement initiated by both T & LL, but
T brings the main mode back with the appropriate use of
transitional markers and IF
a.
c. Shaping learner contribution
Enable learners to produce more comprehensible
& longer utterances, facilitate learners’
involvement & create more opportunities for
negotiation of meanings
- ensures other learners understand a contribution,
keep learners together and ‘fine tunes their input’
(Walsh 2006: 134)
- Mackey (2006): teachers who seek clarification,
check for confirmation and encourage leaner
contributions are likely to optimize learner
learning potential than those who do not
-
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
T Ok. You are now going to use any of the expressions in the book
and give me advice or suggestion. Well, I am so bored, so depressed
now, I am heartbroken.
LL Laugh loudly
L Why heart-broken?
T Oh, my boyfriend left me because he has had another girl for him=
L1 =Find another man for you
T What phrase for advice should you use? (1)
L1 Oh, sorry... why don’t you find another man for you to get you
happy
T Oh, I see. Why don’t you find another man to make you happy
again?
L2 I think you should take activities, meet more people
T You mean I should take part in social activities to meet more
people?
L2 Yes, it’s a good idea to take part in social activities. You’ll meet
more people and if you are lucky, you’ll find another man for you
T Oh, thanks a lot.
Conclusion
Research aim: investigate features of TT that support
learning
To achieve this aim: identify different classroom contexts &
examines the alignment between TT in these modes and
pedagogical goal
Data confirms the claim:
- language classroom is composed of a variety of microcontexts
- It is teachers’ main job to actualize the process of
interaction through their use of language based on
pedagogical goals of lessons and stages within a lesson to
create more opportunities for learning.
4. Three features of supportive TT:
- the appropriateness between teachers’ use
of interactional features & pedagogical
goals,
- teachers’ ability to move between & across
different modes &direct learners to follow
the classroom discourse without being lost
- teachers’ ability to shape learners
contribution.
All these three features are instrumental in
bring about opportunities for learning.