Construction or obstruction: teacher talk and learner involvement in the EFL classroom

To what extent do teachers of EFL hinder or facilitate learner contributions by their use of language? How can teachers enhance the quantity and quality of learner output by more careful language use? In what ways do teachers deny learning opportunities by ‘filling in the gaps’ or ‘smoothing over’ learner contributions? Adopting the position that maximizing learner involvement is conducive to second language acquisition, this paper examines the ways in which teachers, through their choice of language, construct or obstruct learner participation in face-to-face classroom communication. From the lesson extracts emerge a number of ways in which teachers can improve their teacher talk to facilitate and optimize learner contributions. The conclusion, that teachers’ ability to control their use of language is at least as important as their ability to select appropriate methodologies, has implications for both teacher education and classroom practices.