Page 147 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom

Classroom Interaction and Teacher Talk

Classroom Insight: English from Day 1
Klara believes that it is very important to use Some pupils: Yes! Other PP: No.
English from the very first day with a new Klara: Are you sad? (showing sad face and im-
group of learners so she plans her teacher itating crying)
talk carefully. She makes sure to include a lot Some pupils: Yes! Other PP: No.
of visual aids and gestures to scaffold every
Klara: Are you hungry? (rubbing belly)
word and action she feels the learners might
Some pupils: Yes! Other PP: No.
not understand. She is especially careful not
Klara: (showing picture of a sad boy) Is he
to use unknown language without scaffold-
happy? (showing a big smile on her face)
ingin the first weeksas her plan isalways to
build a routine step by step. Here’s an exam- Pupils: No.
ple of how she scaffolds her talk with a group Klara: Is he tired? (yawning and stretching)
of second graders: Pupils: No.
Klara: Today I’m happy. (teacher smiles) And Klara: Is he sad? (showing sad face and imitat-
how are you? (pointing finger at pupils) ing crying)
Are you happy? (teacher smiles) Pupils: Yes.
Some pupils: Yes! Other PP: No. She does the same thing with pictures show-
Klara: Are you tired? (yawning and stretching) ing other feelings – happy, hungry, tired.

should be trained in specialised classroom competence, using English ‘both
as the goal of their teaching and as the primer medium of instruction and
classroom management.’
Several valuable strategies can be used in order to maximise student inter-
action in L2. It is especially important to develop a friendly and supportive
atmosphere. This can be done in different ways, for example, by making sure
learners are given enough time to process information and give an answer,
arranging the seating so that pupils see each other, planning interactive ac-
tivities by giving clear roles, etc. (Scrivener, 2011). Besides planning teacher
talk, there are also clear benefits in developing pupil talk (both pupil-teacher
and pupil-pupil) in a consistent and systematic manner (Table 9.3), such as
by using a variety of games (memory games, dominos or bingo with typi-
cal phrases). An effective way of scaffolding pupil language is also to hang
common phrases on walls around the classroom.
Several teachers have also come to see the benefits of hands-on activities
in learning stations in which pupils rotate through different activities. Learn-
ing stations promote YLs’ active engagement which enhances understand-
ing and retention of the material learnt. In addition, learning stations can be
designed to accommodate different learning styles and abilities and foster
collaboration and communication among students. This promotes the de-
velopment of social and interpersonal skills, which are valuable in real-world
situations.

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