Peer observation plays a key developmental role in initial teacher education courses. However, potential benefits can be limited due to time constraints and the rigidity of individual observation tasks. This article examines the use of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) as a peer observation tool on a CELTA course. We analyse SCMC…

This article reviews patterns of interaction (i.e. learner role relationships) in peer communicative tasks, and uses data collected from different tasks to explain what happens in peer interaction and its impact on the learning opportunities interlocutors create for each other. It proposes that, with L2 peer interaction gaining popularity in…

The research reported here outlines how an emphasis on dialogic interaction and exploratory talk during post-teaching practice discussions can be beneficial to pre-service second language teacher education. The article examines the ways in which such an approach may help promote long-term reflective practice and how enquiry-based talk raises…

This paper reports on an investigation into the discourse features of seven dialogues published in coursebooks between 1981 and 1997, and contrasts them with comparable authentic interactions. It finds that the textbook dialogues differ considerably from their authentic equivalents across a range of discourse features: length and turn-taking…

A model is described to help writers of English as a second language to clarify and rewrite written work which may be incoherent and, as a result, fail to communicate the writer's intentions. The model's steps include reconstructing the reader-writer interaction, uncovering covert questions, and redrafting. (Author/CB)