Second-Language Classroom Interaction: Questions and Answers in Esl Classes (Toronto Studies in Education)

"This book analyzes teacher and student interaction in the context of twelve ESL lessons, with the purpose of exploring the extent of student language output. Research has confirmed that teacher speech dominates the second-language classroom. Not surprisingly, 'teacher talk' has been investigated in numerous studies, but 'student talk' has been largely overlooked: this study addresses that imbalance. Questions are one means of engaging student attention, promoting verbal responses, and evaluating student progress. They facilitate interaction by establishing the topic, the speaker, and the respondent. However, as the author shows, some teacher questions encourage communication while others inhibit it." "In this analysis of teacher and student questions and answers, Professor Wintergerst offers new perspective on second-language development and classroom learning in general."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved