The Process of an Expert Teacher's Practical Thinking in a Junior High School English Class : Focusing on Classroom Communication

Abstract

This paper examines the characteristics of classroom communication in English classes presided over by an experienced teacher at a public junior high school. Each year level (first year to third year) was analyzed in terms of "mode" of communication (how the participants communicate) and "level" of communication (to whom the participants' conversation is directed to). As a result, the following observations became clear: (1) each year level uses mode and level differently; (2) as the year levels progress, the use of mode and level become more complex; and (3) the combination of the characteristic use of mode and level at each year level runs in parallel with the development of students and it leads to students becoming communicators who are conscious not only of what they say but when, where, to whom, and how they speak.