‘Dealing with’ unexpected learner contributions in whole group activities: an examination of novice language teacher discursive practices

The current paper examines the discursive practices of one novice English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher ‘dealing with’ learners’ unexpected contributions in whole group classroom interactions during teacher- and learner-initiated sequences-of-talk. The study draws from two fields of research: classroom discourse studies investigating teachers addressing learner contributions in classroom interaction, and language teacher education research showing teacher expertise as a factor in the construction of classroom communication. Using conversation analytic methods, two initial practices emerged from the novice teacher’s video-recorded data: glossing over learner contributions and assuming the role of information provider. These practices are presented with a focus on the sequential environments in which they occur and the various interactional resources used to construct them. The paper concludes with a discussion of how these findings contribute to both the classroom discourse and language teacher education literatures.