Instructional Conversations in a High School Spanish Class

Abstract: This case study investigated spontaneous interpersonal communication in a high school Spanish classroom, using instructional conversation as a framework for analysis. Instructional conversations are collaborative, extended verbal exchanges in which students develop a coherent topic, supported by the teacher's contingent questions and feedback. The features, length, and frequency of instructional conversations were examined. Analysis of discourse led to a set of distinctive features adapted from the bilingual instructional conversation model. Seventeen instructional conversation episodes constituted 7% of the total time in 18 observed lessons, occurring typically before the teacher's planned lesson activities and at transitions in the lesson. The potential value of instructional conversations for developing interactional competence suggests that they deserve the attention of teachers and researchers, and a more prominent place in the language classroom. Key words: classroom discourse, classroom discussion, conversation, interactional competence, interpersonal communication Language: Spanish, relevant to all languages Introduction The critical need to improve foreign language proficiency in the United States has been well documented (e.g., President's Commission on Foreign Languages and International Studies, 1979; Tucker, 1993). A key part of the response to this need on the part of the foreign language education profession was the release in 1996 of Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century (National Standards, 1996). The document articulated the ability to use target language interactively as a central goal. Standard 1.1 emphasizes the interpersonal mode of communication, specifically conversation: "Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions" (National Standards, 1996, p. 38). Recent research on second language learning from a sociocultural viewpoint also calls attention to the significance of interpersonal communication. According to sociocultural theory, learning takes place through guided participation in an activity with an expert or peer and through the talk that accompanies it. Learners construct knowledge as they interact with others and are assisted in their performance through the medium of language. We observe language learning as learners participate in classroom or outside activities (Donato & Lantolf, 1990; Lantolf, 2000). Focusing on collaborative interpersonal conversation in the classroom has led to a better understanding of how everyday classroom activities provide opportunities for learners to increase their language proficiency (Donato, 2004; Hall, 1995; Hall & Walsh, 2002; Johnson, 1995; Ohta, 1995). Teachers have used communicative activities (e.g., information gaps, conversation cards, role plays) since the 1970s to promote communicative competence (Canale & Swain, 1980; Hymes, 1972). Competence in the management of oral and written text at the discourse level includes interactional competence, the ability to appropriately and effectively participate in conversations (Hall, 1995; Shrum & Glisan, 2005). Development of interactional competence is promoted by participation in exchanges that are spontaneous, topically coherent, and extend over multiple turns, which are characteristics of conversations outside the classroom (McLaughlin, 1984). Activities with the potential for this kind of unscripted, unstructured interpersonal communication include warm-up discussions, information gap and other collaborative small-group tasks, coconstructed grammar explanations, and incidental chat between lesson activities (Adair-Hauck & Donato, 1994; Brooks & Donato, 1994; Donato, 2000, 2004; Ohta, 1995; Shrum & Glisan, 2005; Toth, 2004). Despite the fact that "real communication" is recognized as important for language learners, it is also acknowledged as difficult to achieve. …