The classroom has become  a rich source  of data in the analysis  of classroom processes  and behaviors. Hence there have been  attempts to advice appropriate  data gathering  instruments  to adequately describe  what goes on in the classroom. The analysis of the classroom communication  normally  focuses on the nature of teacher talk  and the learners’ language to describe the type of  communication that is typical in  the classroom. Communication analysis primarily concentrates on verbal  communication, that is, on communication which is carried out by means of language. This system  of analysis is to describe  the structures of language  functions  taken in full context.

The most obvious  of classroom  communication  is that it adopts a central communication  system, that is, the type of interaction  taking place  most of the time is highly teacher centered . Everybody else  listen to a single speaker. The teacher is normally central to the interaction both physically  and communicatively.

Over  two decades ago, Flander (1963) observed that the teacher do the talking  in the classroom two-thirds of the time, and two-thirds of the teacher talk was  direct influence. There is a little reason  to believe that  this scenario  has change after  20 years. The central communication  is indeed prevalent   in most classrooms. It reflect and arises  from the teacher’s right to make  most  of  the decisions necessary to secure orderly  interaction. Since a teacher’s discipline  is judge largely  by his / her ability  to hold  a class, the pupil’s full and undivided  attention is  to be demanded at the start and at the end of the lesson. Consequently teachers are very likely  “to own” classroom interaction , in so far as pupils are willing to be taught.

Teacher talk is characterized by  exposition and questioning ,  expounding facts  and interpretation s which are  then tested, with pupils joining in only to risk  a wrong answer  to what is on the teacher’s mind.

The traditional  classroom settings have been both a symbol and reinforcement  of centrally controlled interaction .The conventional grouping of desks channel communication to and from the teacher, who is  the obvious  focus of attention . Ifn and when  teachers have  to stop talking  to give way to pupil  participation, the predominant  teaching technique  is  still that of  question and answer. However  the number of potential participants can also present some managerial  problems. Normally the problems like how turns are taken, how  the rule  of one speaker at a time is maintained, and who to call on to answer a question are decided  upon by the teacher. Turns, therefore, are allocated; they are not seized and pupils have to learn  to bid appropriately  for the right to speak.

By applying  the question-and-answer technique, the teacher speaks before and after each pupil  contribution. By getting the floor  back every other  turn, he/she is able to continue his/her allocation of turns at speaking  as well as  to shape the meaning of  what is said  in the desired direction. The teacher’s comment  to each intermediate  response indicates that a better answer is still to be attained either by  repeating the  question or by partly  accepting or elaborating  what the pupil has said to provide some clue  to what that  better answer  might be. Since  the teacher  often ask questions that are closed in nature. He /she is  able to intervene , hence, his/her smooth  management of  interaction. 

By: Susan S. Bamba | Teacher II | Pagalanggang Elementary School | Dinalupihan, Bataan