Classroom, Signing in the

Structure and Patterns of Classroom Discourse

The default discourse patterns in most classrooms involves either a monologue as the teacher lectures at length or conversations with students. Typical classroom conversation involves three parts and is known as the IRE/F pattern. Conversations are first initiated by the teacher making inquiries on a subject. Then a student chosen by the teacher responds to the inquiry. This is then followed by feedback in the form of an evaluative statement from the teacher. In most hearing classrooms, the IRE/F pattern moves from question to question rapidly. Deaf teachers have been shown to be more deliberate and persistent about their evaluation/feedback and continue their lines of inquiry until they get a desired response. If an initial inquiry does not get a “correct” response, teachers who have linguistic facility with ASL are able to maintain extended discourse until they observe the desired response.

Some strategies that successful teachers use to promote extended interactions include the use of nonmanual discourse markers, eye gaze to control turn-taking and student attention, spatial referents with indexing to maintain cohesion across conversational turns, initial higher-level cognitive questions followed by rephrasing as needed, and persistence in seeking answers.

Another feature of classrooms is the teacher’s level of control. Communication rights are often tightly controlled by the teacher in hearing classrooms, in which a student may be required to raise a hand and be called on before speaking. In Deaf classrooms, the teacher maintains a more fluid conversational level. Using the strategies noted in the preceding paragraph, they direct the students’ attention to the discourse, encourage them, and assist them during repairs and breakdowns in the dialogue. Without fluency in signed language, a teacher might find this kind of classroom atmosphere difficult to maintain.

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