1. What do teachers do? A look at the oral skills practices
in the non-literate adult
L2 classroom
Susanna Strube - Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands – 2008

2. Classroom organization oral skills
Type 1
Type 2
Type 3
lesson time
allotted to oral skills
50%
aimed at 50%
not fixed
placement of
students
according to
oral skills level
class stays together
materials
oral skills materials
various 2

3. Classroom activities Type Topic Materials Classroom 1 1 Weekend story
None
Classroom 2
Weather and news of the week
Classroom 3 2
The house
Floor plan
Classroom 4
Shopping (products and packaging)
Work sheet and real objects
Classroom 5 3
Routines and the calendar
Classroom 6
Making sentences
Real objects

4. Classroom interaction
Real conversation
A: What time is it?
B: It’s ten o’ clock.
A: Thanks.
Classroom talk
A: What time is it?
B: It’s ten o’ clock.
A: That’s right.

5. The IRF/E exchange pattern
I initiative teacher’s input
R response student’s response
F/E feedback/follow-up/evaluation teacher’s reaction

6. IRF in the classroom - basic
T: Welke maand meisjes, maand februari? (Initiative)
Which month girls, month February?
S: Twee. (Response)
Two.
T: Maand twee, maand, twee. (Follow-up)
Month two, month two.
[N3/3:3]

7. IRF in the classroom – extended
T: Wat doe jij met de kelder? (Initiative)
What do you do with the cellar?
S: Ja, kelder, uuh. (Response)
Yes, cellar, uuh.
T: Wat zet jij in de kelder? (re-Initiative)
What do you put in the cellar?
T: Wat zet jij er in? (re-Initiative)
What do you put in it?
S: Boodschappen. (Response)
Groceries.
T: Ja, de extra boodschappen. (Follow-up)
Yes, the extra groceries.
[Lg2/3:2]

8. Types of questions -1 Referential questions Display questions
[Real or genuine questions]
Answers not known by teacher
Responses not restricted in form
More than a few words
What did you do yesterday?
Display questions
[Test or tutorial questions]
Answers known by teacher
Responses restricted in form
Short answers
Routine type of questions
Check for understanding
What day is it today?

9. Types of questions -2 Open questions Closed questions
Require more than a ‘yes’or ‘no’ answer
Often wh-questions
What did you do yesterday?
Closed questions
‘Yes/no’questions
Only one possible answer
Simple multiple choice questions
What day is it today?
Is today Friday?

10. Types of questions Open Closed Referential Display
Referential open (ro)
Where will you go this afternoon?
Referential closed (rc)
Do you like carrots?
Is your house big or small?
Display
Display open (do)
Where is your pencil?
Display closed (dc)
Is this a pen?
What day was it yesterday?

11. IRF in the classroom – focus on form 1
T: Wat is dit? Initiative - display closed
What is this?
S: Vaas. Response
Vase.
T: Ja Feedback
Yes.
T: En wat is ‘t, de of het vaas? Initiative - display closed
And what is it, the or (the) vase?
S: de vaas. Response
the vase.
T: De vaas, goed zo, ja. Feedback
The vase, good, o.k.
[MN3/1:4]

12. IRF in the classroom – focus on form 2
T (I-dc): Wat heeft Betty?
What does Betty have?
S (R) : Uuh ‘n doos.
Uuh a box.
T (F1) : Ja, maar de hele zin maken, Betty…
Yes, but make a complete sentence, Betty...
S (R) : Betty hebbe een doos.
Betty have a box.
T (F2) : Betty…
Betty…
S (R) : hebbe doos.
have box.
T (F3) : Betty heb een doos, is dat goed?
Betty have a box, is that correct?
S (R) : Nee.
No.
T (F4) : Betty…
Betty…
S (R) : heb ik
have I
T (F5) : Heeft, Betty heeft een doos. Heel goed. Heel goed.
Has, Betty has a box. Very good, Very good.
[RIJ2/3:8]

13. IRF in the classroom – focus on message 1
T: Wat zet je nog meer in de kelder? Initiative – referential open
What else would you put in the cellar?
S: Glas extra uuh kranten. Response 1
Glass extra uuh newspapers.
T: Ja, de alle extras,de boodschappen. Feedback 1
Yes, all the extras, the groceries.
S: Ja, boodschappen. Response 2
Yes, groceries.
T: Glazen, kopjes, wat je zo over hebt. Feedback 2
Glasses, cups, whatever you have left over.
[Lg2/3:2]

14. IRF in the classroom – focus on message 2
T (I-rc) : Tulun, is de televisie niet goed thuis?
Tulun, is the t.v. not good at home?
S (R) : Turkish Nederland beetje niet goed.
Turkish Netherlands little not good.
T (I-rc) : Maar heb jij ‘n televisie thuis?
But do you have a t.v. at home?
S (R) : Nee, uuh, mijn dochter samen computer.
No, uuh, my daughter together computer.
T (F) : Ja,
Yes,
T (I-rc) : jij, maar kijk jij televisie thuis?
you, but do you watch t.v. at home?
S (R) : Turkije nee, nee.
Turkey no, no.
T (F1) : Jij kijkt alleen Turkse televisie?
You only watch Turkish t.v?
S (R) : Uuh computer, kenne praten Turkije computer.
Uuh, computer, can talk Turkey computer.
T (F2) : Jij praat met de computer?
You talk with the computer?
S (R) : Turkije familie Nederland.
Turkey family Netherlands.
[A1/1:7]

15. IRF and classroom initiatives
Type
Total initiatives
Student initiatives
Teacher initiatives
Embedded IRF teacher initiatives
Classroom 1 1 33 11
33.3% 22
66.7% 14
63.6%
Classroom 2 35 7
20% 28
80% 16
57.1%
Classroom 3 2 43
4.7% 41
95.3%
85.4%
Classroom 4 24
4.2% 23
95.8% 19
82.7%
Classroom 5 3 36 4
11.1% 32
88.9% 25
78.1%
Classroom 6
8.7% 21
91.3% 20
87%

16. Teacher questions in the classroom
Type
Referential
open
Referential closed
Display open
Display closed
Giving information
Classroom 1 1 8 5
Classroom 2 2 10
Classroom 3 9 17 3 6
Classroom 4 15
Classroom 5 20
Classroom 6 11
TOTALS 21 36 4 58 47

17. Student initiation -1
T (I) : Nieuw in the nieuws in Amsterdam, oh vorige
week in Amsterdam Noord, nu in Amsterdam
West, hebben jullie het echt niet gehoord? Weer
‘n Turkse meneer doodgeschoten.
New in the news in Amsterdam, oh last week in
Amsterdam North, now in Amsterdam West,
haven’t you really heard it? Again a Turkish man
shot dead.
S1 (R) : Andere?
Other one?
T (F) : Ja, in Amsterdam West.
Yes, in Amsterdam West.
S2 (R) : In Amsterdam West.
In Amsterdam West.
S (looks in newspaper)
T (F) : Goed zo Malika, daar is de foto.
Good Malika, there is the picture.
T (I) : Hebben jullie het echt niet gehoord?
Haven’t you really heard?
S4 (I) : Waarom?
Why?
T (R) : Dat weet ik niet. Dat weet ik niet waarom.
That I don’t know. That I don’t know why.
S2 (I) : Twee mensen in Zaandam.
Two people in Zaandam.
T (R) : Twee mensen in Zaandam ook?
Two people in Zaandam too?
S2 (R) : Ja.
Yes.
T (I) : Waren dat ook Turkse mensen?
Were they also Turkish people?
S2 (R) : Ja, Turkse mensen.
Yes, Turkish people.
S1 (I) : Waarom altijd Turkse mensen?
Why always Turkish people?
T (R) : Ik weet het niet. Ik weet het niet, Farida.
I don’t know. I don’t know, Farida.
[A1/1:6]

18. Student initiation -2 T (I-dc): En wat is de datum, Fatima?
And what is the date, Fatima?
S1: (no response)
T (I-dc): Wat is de datum vandaag?
What is the date today?
S1 (R): Uuh zes februari.
Uuh six February.
T (F): Zes februari.
Six February.
S2 (I): Januari thuis.
January at home.
T (F): Ja, januari is thuis. Dit is februari.
Yes, January is home. This is February.
[N3/3:3]

19. Student initiation -3 T (I-ro): Nou, Aida, vertel eens wat heeft Souad
gedaan het weekend?
Now, Aida, tell us what did Souad do this
weekend?
S1: (no response)
T (I-dc): Kan je het vertellen?
Can you tell about it?
S1 (R): Zaterday ik ga naar winkel.
Saturday I go to store.
T (F): Nee,
No,
T (I-ro): Wat heeft Souad gedaan, Souad?
What did Souad do, Souad?
S1 (R): Ja, uuh, brief voor dochter voor zalf
uuh
Yes, uuh, letter for daughter for cream uuh
T (F): Jaaa.
Yeees.
S1 (R): Ik weet heet niet precies voor uuh
Ik don’t know exactly for uuh
S2 (I): Voor bril voor mijn dochter.
For glasses for my daughter.
T (F): Okay.
O.K.
S2 (I): Klaar met uuh.
Ready for uuh.
T (F): Voor de crèche voor de kinderopvamng?
For the nursery for the daycare center?
S2 (R): Nee voor bril.
No for glasses.
T (F): Okay, okay, ze moest ‘n nieuwe bril, ah
ze moet ‘n nieuwe bril.
O.K. she had to have new glasses, ah she
had to have new glasses.
S2 (I): Ja.
Yes.
[N1/1:4]

20. IRF evaluated Disadvantages Advantages to point of “handover”
Teacher has all the control.
86,3%T – 13.7% S
Teacher talks the most.
Students only respond.
No topic development.
Limitations of utterance.
2.4 words
Advantages
Rote learning
Checking knowledge
Scaffolding instruction
Can challenge students to think.
to point of “handover”