A Case Study Of Classroom Talk In Early-grade Primary School English Class

Today,the quality of classroom talk has received worldwide attention of teachers and researchers because it is related to effective classroom teaching.Classroom talk differs in functions and forms from language used in other contexts in that teachers and students have specific goals and engage in different sets of activities in class.Besides,teachers can adapt to teaching goals and attract students of different levels by means of adaptation and simplification of discourse.Therefore,as a crucial chunk in language teaching,classroom talk is not only a bridge for communication and interaction between English teachers and students,but also a significant manifestation of students' English input and output.Classroom talk plays a vital role in the process of English classroom teaching and students' language learning.In spite of a growing body of research has explored classroom talk,preceding studies on classroom talk mostly placed their focus on English class of college English majors and non-English majors,and the research focus is mostly on the characteristics of teachers' excessive discourse.Therefore,this study conducts the investigation on the structures and categories of English classroom talk in early-grade primary school English class,which aims to put forward some suggestions for teachers,and then improve the quality of English classroom teaching to a certain extent.Qualitative research approach and quantitative research approach are utilized to collect and process the data,based on related literature both at home and abroad,through classroom observation and interview,and the study conducts to investigate the present situation on classroom talk in early-grade English class.Through careful analysis of the collected 20 classroom teaching records and teacher interview data,the paper explores the influences of structures and categories of classroom discourse on students' learning.The study presents the following research questions:1.What are the features of structures of classroom talk?2.What are the features of categories of classroom talk?3.What are the influences of structures and categories of classroom talk on students' learning?The results indicate that the most frequently used structure of classroom talk in primary school English class is IRF and the interaction between teachers and students is not deep enough,which is related to pupils' cognitive level and teachers' language ability;the teachers have the flexibility to adopt rich discourse categories;classroom talk involves a lot of questions and feedback,but the feedback to the students lacks emotion and does not pay enough attention to the individual differences of the students;the complexity and teachers' language competence of classroom talk may affect students' learning,while the structures and categories of classroom talk may affect students' thinking and classroom performance;the initiative of interaction is basically in the hands of teachers,and the relationship between teachers and students is not equal in some degree.In terms of the problems above,English teachers should fully realize the influences of structures and categories of classroom talk on students' learning,and improve the quality of classroom talk as well as enrich classroom discourse structures and categories;questions and feedback given by teachers should pay attention to students' individuality,cultivate students' interests in English learning,and lay stress on the cultivation of students' thinking;teachers should give students opportunities to initiate interaction and create a more equal and harmonious classroom atmosphere in the course of classroom teaching.