Doing Exploratory Talk in the Language Classroom: A Sequential Account

: Building on William Barnes’ research (1992; 2008; 2010) on how exploratory talk can be used as a toolto work on understanding and promote learning in L1 elementary school classrooms, I examine exploratory talk in theadult ESL classroom. Ten hours of two adult ESL classes were videotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using aconversation analytic (CA) framework. The analysis shows that exploratory talk is implemented through a 5-stagesequential structure and can be teacher- or jointly-led. Each stage in the sequence is introduced, supported, andmanaged as much by gestures, gaze, and movement as by talk and silence. The findings not only suggest thatexploratory talk offers an important resource for resolving language issues but also how this can be done step-by-stepin real time. The findings contribute to previous research on exploratory talk by locating this talk within largerexploratory sequences, calling attention to crucial nonverbal conduct, and examining these sequences in the adult ESLclassroom.

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