OBSERVATION TASK 4 Classroom interaction

Who talks? Who do they talk to? Who gets left out? By recording information
objectively over a short period of time, it may be possible to notice some factors
that make an important contribution to the working environment.

Task 1: Who speaks?

Draw a rough sketch map of the classroom, marking each seating position and
the place where the teacher is standing or sitting.
Choose a two-minute period near the start of the lesson and simply put a mark
(e.g. a tick or a line) next to each person who says something. Repeat this task at
one or two other points in the lesson.
Here is a map I made during one teacher’s class:

Task 2: Interaction patterns

Draw a similar map of the classroom. Choose a two-minute period during a
whole-class speaking stage of the lesson. Add arrows to the diagram to indicate
who is speaking to whom (similar to the diagrams in Chapter 5, Section 2 on
pages 85–6).

St St St St St St St
St St St St St St St
St St St St St St St
St St St St St St St
St St St St St St St
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