Dr. Hansun Zhang Waring Talk

Abstract: In this talk, I outline two ways in which conversation analysis (CA) can advance the field of second language teacher education (SLTE). First, CA insights offer detailed documentations of L2 teaching as the “specialized professional work” that requires “a range of complex repertoires” (Hall, in press, also see “interactional competence for teaching (ICT) in Hall & Johnson, 2014; “classroom interactional competence” in Walsh, 2006). Insofar as understanding the complexity of such specialized professional work is integral to the curriculum of any language teacher education program, CA findings on classroom interaction make a substantial contribution towards building this curriculum–by answering the question of what to look for when we examine teaching for teacher development purposes. Second, from the growing, albeit much less robust, body of CA literature on post-observation conferences, we are beginning to obtain a glimpse into the problems and possibilities entailed in promoting reflective conversations. As such, CA analyses can also provide useful answers to the question of how to engage such conversations on L2 teaching. I conclude by emphasizing that SLTE is a multi-dimensional enterprise that requires coordinated and collaborative efforts from all stakeholders with varying types of experiences and expertise.