Decades of classroom interaction research has shown that the ways teachers ask questions, respond to student utterances, use gestures, and manage multilingual resources can facilitate or hinder language learning opportunities. These research findings, however, cannot provide one-size-fits-all solutions for teachers to resolve problems related to classroom interaction. Developing skills in managing and conducting successful classroom interactions involves reflecting, with peers or knowledgable others, on one's own classroom interactions, and taking action to change classroom teaching practices. This may require bringing together the expertise of classroom interaction researchers and language teachers, who can collaborate to create action research partnerships. Against this background, this chapter focuses on the effects of collaborative action research (CAR) on creating awareness for and change in classroom interaction practices. In order to show the impact of CAR, we present findings from a university-school partnership project in which an experienced upper-secondary school teacher and a university-based researcher/teacher educator in Sweden utilised a mobile video observation and reflection tool to focus on classroom interaction in English lessons. We demonstrate how the implementation of CAR facilitated interactional awareness and change in classroom interaction practices over time, including the use of English and Swedish in teaching, as well as the amount of time spent on different modes of classroom communication. We argue that a CAR approach to classroom interaction can be transformative for teachers and can be adopted to facilitate continuous professional development by both novice and experienced teachers.
Book chapter; Export Date: 31 March 2025; Cited By: 1