A Survey Of English Teachers’ Classroom Discourse In High Schools Of Urumqi In Xinjiang

Teachers’ classroom discourse is the speech used by teachers to gain easier access to communicate with students so as to achieve the teaching purpose. There are some features of teachers’ classroom discourse as well as some problems in English class of middle school. To enhance the effectiveness of English teachers’ classroom discourse, the author carried out this research.The research is based on Krashen’s Comprehensible Input Hypothesis, Swain’s Comprehensible Output Hypothesis, and Long’s Interaction Hypothesis. Five senior English teachers and 302 students in Urumqi NO.8 middle school are selected as the research objects. The researcher studied the amount of teachers’ classroom discourse, three kinds of teachers’ interaction modification(comprehension check, confirmation check, clarification request) and the types of teacher’s question, pointing, waiting time and strategies by classroom observation, questionnaire and interviews.According to the results: firstly, in general, the amount of teachers’ discourse is more than that of students’, and teacher’s classroom discourse is the main part of the whole classroom discourse. Secondly, comprehension check is the most frequently used way of interaction modification when communication is difficult between teacher and students. Thirdly, teachers will be more inclined to ask some display questions. When asking, the teacher always points to one student, and waiting time is about 1 to 3 seconds. As to questioning strategies, the teachers always open students’ mind through questioning them closely or encouraging them.The following is about suggestions: first of all, teachers should give students more output opportunities and increase the teachers’ usage amount of the target language; Secondly, when communication is difficult between teachers and students, the teacher should choose the confirmation check and clarification request as the way of interaction modification so that the interaction will be more natural and realistic. Finally, in order to stimulate the motivation of students, the teacher should try to ask some referential questions, and point to every student in class. At the same time, the students should be given more time to think, and questioning strategies should be adjusted according to the actual situation.