New Ideas for Research on Classroom Discourse

Abstract

* In the years since I finished writing Classroom Discourse (1988), there have been two important changes in analyses of talk in classrooms: (a) research by outsiders is increasingly being supplemented by research by teachers themselves; and (b) the focus has enlarged beyond features inherent in all discourse, such as who gets and maintains the floor, to relations between the content of talk and specific curriculum goals. I want to support both changes with three suggestions (and recommend Edwards & Westgate, 1994, as an excellent accessible source of further guidance). First, consider the features inherent in all discourse. How is participation distributed among the classroom members? A tape recording is easy to make but not so easy to listen to. The results usually shock teachers when they hear their own voice filling so much air time (typically two thirds), and the rest filled disproportionately by a few confident students. A more subtle question is how much those students who do speak show evidence of really hearing, and taking into account, what others before them have said. In short, is the content of their speech responsive as well as expressive? To work toward more equitably distributed and more responsive voices, some teachers (e.g., Allen, 1992) have successfully videotaped their classrooms, shown the video to the class, and discussed desirable changes together. Students then become co-researchers, with their participation in that role valuable talk in itself. Together, teacher and students can look for processes of getting and keeping the floor, being explicit in expressing one's own ideas, and helping to clarify those of others. In Allen's case, some of the boys dominated discussions. Classes were lively, students were engaged, but too many people felt excluded (Allen, 1992, p. 94). When collective reflection about the videotaped evidence was not enough to achieve more affirmative interaction, Allen intervened more directly. She spoke to some of the students privately; she suggested that students not sit in the same seats every day; and at