Observing a lot by just watching: Analyzing the dynamics of teacher-student interaction

Social interaction in the foreign language classroom plays an important role in language learning and teaching. Adaptive teaching is said to foster co-construction of meaning, but this process is complex, dynamic and interactive and therefore difficult to measure. In this presentation we will show ways in micro-level analyses of time-series data might inform our understanding of the dynamic process of co-adaptation in classroom interaction. Moment-to-moment observations of 2727 pairs of teacher questions and student answers were used to operationalize and analyze complex dynamic systems concepts such as self-organization, co-adaptation, attractor states, stability and variability. Based on data gathered in 40 English as a foreign language lessons taught by different teachers, we will show how quantitative research methods can be used to gauge and visualize interaction patterns. Results from our study reveal highly idiosyncratic patterns, which are characterized by high levels of teacher and limited levels of student activity.