An Impetus for Change: Classroom Analysis Using Sinclair and Coulthard’s Model of Spoken Discourse

Analyzing classroom talk using the Sinclair & Coulthard model of spoken discourse gives teachers an awareness of two important features of the classroom: the communicative roles assumed by both teacher and student and the language choices made by the teacher. This paper examines an application of the Sinclair & Coulthard model, particularly at the level of exchange, move and act and the manner in which they interrelate. Looking at the usefulness of this kind of analysis in two types of activities in the classroom for understanding classroom communication and communicative patterns in discourse allows teachers to objectively understand the choices they make and how those choices impact the communication that is likely to take place in the classroom.