Teacher Talk In Middle School English Classroom: A Study Based On SLA Theories

For most middle school students in China, English language teaching (ELT) classroom is the main place in which English is involved and used. In ELT classroom, Teacher Talk (TT) is not only the medium to achieve the teaching objective but also the main source of language input. The 'students-centered' teaching approach requires the teacher to adjust his/her pedagogy and TT according to the learners' reaction and needs. Teachers should pay attention to the forms, techniques and quality of their TT. So a claim for improvement of TT in English classroom is put forward. However, many middle school English teachers have long neglected it; they cannot adjust their TT consciously, or they lack awareness and sensibility of using TT effectively.The study is based on the SLA theories: Krashen's comprehensible input hypothesis and affective filter hypothesis, Swain's comprehensible output hypothesis, and Long's negotiation of meaning theory. The data is collected and analyzed through classroom observations, audio records, questionnaires and interviews. The study investigates and analyzes the current TT situation in middle school English classroom in detail, and mainly discusses the dual characteristics of TT: form adjustment and function features. Then some specific suggestions are put forward to train the students' communicative competence in the'students-centered' classroom, to improve TT and to promote the quality of foreign language teaching in middle school.The study builds the basis for resolving the relationship between foreign language teaching and foreign language study, improving and evaluating middle school English teaching, and discussing how to carry out the research on TT in middle school English classroom theoretically. And the study can help teachers to improve their TT, and promote classroom interaction. It will be helpful to the students' language acquisition and the improvement of the quality of middle school English teaching.