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TRNG MINH HA
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Classrooms as social contexts
What is a social context?The immediate physical setting in which people were raised,
including: the culture/language they were raised in & the
groups they interact with.
The social context of classrooms:A function of how
students with various characteristics are distributed through
interaction patterns.
Classroomsare deeply and fundamentally social contexts
concerning studentsrelationship with each other as well as
the activities they jointly undertake.
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Contextsare constructedthrough the talkininteraction
in relation to specific institutional goals and the pedagogicgoalsof a lesson.
An ability to understanding interactional processes in
classrooms is crucialto facilitating learning opportunity and
to preventing learners from becoming lost in the discourse.
Classrooms as social contexts
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Negotiated interaction: Conversational exchanges
arising when participants try to accommodate potentialor actual problems of understanding, using strategies
[comprehension checks or clarification checks].
Second language acquisition:The process by which
people learn a second language.
Classroom interaction & Second language acquisition
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Van Lier (1988) distinguishes four basic types ofclassroom interaction:
[1] The teacher has no control over the topic & the activity;
[2] The teacher controls the topic but not the activity;
[3] The teacher controls the topic and the activity;
[4] The teacher controls the activity but not the topic.
He also distinguishes three types of interaction function:[1] ideational(telling people facts or experiences);
[2] interpersonal(working on relationships with people);
[3] textual (signaling connections and boundaries, clarifying,
summarizing, and revising).
Classroom interaction & Second language acquisition
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Maximizinginteraction should be regarded as less
importantthan optimizingit = Promoting appropriate
interaction based upon desired learning outcomes.
Quality interaction:
[1]Teachers manage & sustain via careful managementof
the turntaking sequencesoccurring in face to face
communication.
[2] Studentsclearly have a significant role to play & need
to gain a comprehensive understandingof the interactive
processes.
Classroom interaction & Second language acquisition
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In the formal context, learners interact in many differentways: [1]with each others; [2] with the teacher; [3] with the
materials being used; [4] with their own thought processes.
Through interacting with others, learners are obliged to
modify their speech in order to ensure that understanding
takes place.
By asking for clarification & confirming comprehension
[key features of interaction],language acquisition occurs.
InteractionfacilitatesSecond language Acquisition
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Negotiationthrough Interaction enables learners:
[1] to provide each other comprehensible input;
[2] to give and gain feedback on contributions;
[3] to modify and restructure utterances.
Meaningsare made clear.
Negotiationmust be regarded as an important
component of the learning experience, and cannot be
interpreted as repair of imperfect/ failed communication.
InteractionfacilitatesSecond language Acquisition
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InteractionfacilitatesSecond language Acquisition
Centrality
of
Classroom
Interaction
Making
input
comprehensible
Enhancing
learner
attention
Encouraging
learner
output
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Comprehensible input & Negotiation of meaning do not
ensure second language acquisition (SLA)Learners
must have opportunities to speak.
Comprehensible output in the form of practice
opportunitiesat least as important as comprehensible
input.
Outputenhances fluency& promotes noticing function
by allowing learners to identify gaps between what they
want to say and what they are able to say.
Interaction increasesOpportunities for Practice
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By giving learners controlof the topic > activity
increasing opportunities for both practice and acquisition.
Through interaction & negotiation of meaning, learners
pay attentionnot only to the formof an utterance, but also
to its functionand degree of appropriacy at a given point in
an exchange.
Interaction increasesOpportunities for Practice
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Quality interaction affords learners time:
[1] To reflect on their output;
[2] To identify gaps in their linguistic knowledge;
[3] To notice features of new language in relation to whathas been acquired already.
Through reflection& learning how to navigate the
discourseLearners have potential to become more
strategic& consequently enhance opportunitiesfor
language acquisition.
InteractionpromotesReflection
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The use of direct repair and corrective feedback
Examples of the ways in which teachers can help learners
monitor, reflect on and self
correct their contributions.
By drawing attention to one learners output
A teacher can facilitate reflective practices among the
other learners in the group, enabling a focus on form while
still maintaining communicative interaction.
InteractionpromotesReflection