Focus on Oral Interaction. Jenefer Philp

and keeping us grounded.

      Acknowledgments

      Firstly, thank you Patsy Lightbown and Nina Spada. We cannot imagine a more incredible editing team. We are truly grateful for your wise counsel, patience, and unflagging encouragement. Your perceptive feedback and indefatigable eye for detail have made all the difference.

      Thanks also to the other amazing SLA people who set the scene, and taught us much: Rod Ellis, Sue Gass, Mike Long, and Alison Mackey.

      A special thanks to friends and colleagues within the field and especially those who helped with our research and generously shared their own data and insights: Rebecca Adams, Susan Duchesne, Mike Exell, Ellen Grote, Yvonne Haig, Noriko Iwashita, Judith Rochecouste, and Rita Tognini.

      Series Editors’ Preface

      The Oxford Key Concepts for the Language Classroom series is designed to provide accessible information about research on topics that are important to second language teachers. Each volume focuses on a particular area of second/foreign-language learning and teaching, covering both background research and classroom-based studies. The emphasis is on how knowing about this research can guide teachers in their instructional planning, pedagogical activities, and assessment of learners’ progress.

      The idea for the series was inspired by the book How Languages are Learned. Many colleagues have told us that they appreciate the way that the book can be used either as part of a university teacher education program or in a professional development course for experienced teachers. They have commented on the value of publications that show teachers and future teachers how knowing about research on language learning and teaching can help them think about their own teaching principles and practices.

      This series is oriented to the educational needs and abilities of school-aged children (5–18 years old) with distinct chapters focusing on research that is specific to primary- and secondary-level learners. The volumes are written for second language teachers, whether their students are minority-language speakers learning the majority language or students learning a foreign language in a classroom far from the communities where the language is spoken. Some of the volumes will be useful to ‘mainstream’ teachers who have second language learners among their students, but have limited training in second/foreign language teaching. Some of the volumes will also be primarily for teachers of English, whereas others will be of interest to teachers of other languages as well.

      The series includes volumes on topics that are key for second language teachers of school-age children and each volume is written by authors whose research and teaching experience have focused on learners and teachers in this age group. While much has been written about some of these topics, most publications are either ‘how to’ methodology texts with no explicit link to research, or academic works that are designed for researchers and postgraduate students who require a thorough scholarly treatment of the research, rather than an overview and interpretation for classroom practice. Instructors in programs for teachers often find that the methodology texts lack the academic background appropriate for a university course and that the scholarly works are too long, too difficult, or not sufficiently classroom-oriented for the needs of teachers and future teachers. The volumes in this series are intended to bridge that gap.

      The books are enriched by the inclusion of Spotlight Studies that represent important research and Classroom Snapshots that provide concrete examples of teaching/learning events in the second language classroom. In addition, through a variety of activities, readers will be able to integrate this information with their own experiences of learning and teaching.

      Introduction

      In this book we will examine oral interaction theory and research as it pertains to child and adolescent second language learners. We will provide guidance to primary and high school teachers about pedagogical implications based on the findings of oral interaction research undertaken in the classroom as well as ‘laboratory’ settings. Although much has been written about oral interaction research, the focus has often been on older learners. We hope this book, with its emphasis on children and adolescents in primary and high school contexts, will serve to redress this.

      The content of our book has relevance to teachers in several different settings – for example, those who teach migrant children who are learning the language of the classroom and wider community; those who are involved in Content-Based Language Teaching through a second language; and those teaching foreign language students (for example, English speaking students in an English speaking country learning Japanese, French, Spanish, etc.).

      In Chapter 1, we outline what oral interaction is, and what it is not. We discuss oral interaction in more detail and as with other books in this series, we use Classroom Snapshots to illustrate the content. Key areas covered in Chapter 1 are the differences between speaking and writing, and the reciprocal nature of speaking and listening. A brief description of how oral interaction develops is also provided.

      Chapter 2 explores the role of interaction for second language learning from linguistic, cognitive, social, and pedagogical perspectives. We first examine the features of interaction, including the types of communicative strategies that we all use, but especially those that child language learners engage in. We provide descriptions and examples showing how interaction provides second language input for learners, and also opportunities for learners to provide and to modify their own language output. We explore the related concepts of ‘negotiation for meaning’ and feedback within classroom activities and the research on how they facilitate language development. We also highlight the challenge that many child learners face as they are developing their oral proficiency in the target language while learning both the language and academic content simultaneously. An examination of the social perspectives of classroom interaction includes a focus on the role of scaffolding for learning, and of language development from a sociocultural perspective. In this section, we discuss the connection between social relationships and the differential benefits of teacher–student and peer interaction for learning.

      Chapter 3 explores the contribution of interaction between primary school teachers and their students and between peers in the primary school classroom. We look at how this contributes to the second language acquisition process and to the learners’ academic, social, and cultural success. We explore what research suggests about the outcomes of different tasks, when used in different contexts, and also other learner and classroom factors. We also examine the role of first language use in second language classrooms. We then highlight the social importance of interaction for children – how it aids learning, enjoyment, and motivation for this age group.