Classroom discourse is a core medium of instruction -- analyzing it can provide a window into teaching and learning as well as driving the development of new tools for improving instruction. We introduce the largest dataset of mathematics classroom transcripts available to researchers, and demonstrate how this data can help improve instruction.…

In this article, we use grounded practical theory to develop a practical theory for using "difficult data" in Language and Social Interaction university classes. "Difficult data" are transcribed, audio/video-recorded data that contain language and ideologies that could be offensive, bigoted, or otherwise disturbing. We provide…

In this article, we examine the ways in which an ESL instructor constructs contextually relevant meanings through the synchronization of speech and gesture during unplanned vocabulary explanations. Video recorded data are analysed, with focus on an in-class homework review in which students demonstrated difficulty in comprehending several key…

Automatic assessment of dialogic properties of classroom discourse would benefit several widespread classroom observation protocols. However, in classrooms with low incidences of dialogic discourse, assessment can be highly biased against detecting dialogic properties. In this paper, we present an approach to addressing this imbalanced class…

Interaction Analysis has been explored for the initiating topics, turn taking, and asking and answering questions in face-to-face learning environments during the last decades. This study investigated the form and sequence of the questions and answers in an asynchronous environment from a non-interventionist point of view. To conduct the research,…

Asking questions that invite students to access advanced thinking skills during classroom discourse is a key strategy for challenging and supporting high-ability middle school readers. This critical teaching practice requires careful teacher listening. However, empirical research around teachers' "listening orientations," or how teachers…

Teachers can reflect on and analyze their classroom discourse to inform their instructional practice. When teachers try to do so however, they often face analytic difficulties, which include the data set (e.g., data input, data transformation, and utterances by unknown speakers), coding (e.g., coding complexity, reliability, and efficiency),…

Reading aloud to students is an important topic in educational research. Previous research clearly identified effective components and benefits of reading aloud to elementary students; however, very little data addresses the exact wording of the kinds of questions teachers ask and the responses that students give during a read aloud. This study…

Instructors of college/university writing classes commonly ask their students to "share their ideas" in groups. This paper aims to describe the sequential structures of a kind of talk typical to group work: students presenting "reports" about early written drafts. Specifically, the data analysis in this paper looks at how a student's report…

The purpose of this study was to analyze what a group teachers say to English Language Learners as part of the curriculum and instruction, and to categorize the comments along the lines of scientific curriculum inquiry. Observations and interviews were the primary methods of data collection for this proposed study. An analysis was made of what the…

The assumption that question-answer sequences consist of two moves was examined using data from recordings of second-grade classrooms in Austin, Texas. Interactions initiated by children's spontaneous questions in informal, small group settings were evaluated. Twenty-nine dialogue samples are presented and analyzed. Four issues in the study of…