Multimodal Participation and Engagement: Social Interaction in the Classroom: 1 (Studies in Social Interaction)

Traditionally, teachers and researchers have looked for student participation in moments when teachers provide interactional space for it – this book takes a more holistic approach, examining how learners are participating (or not) throughout classroom interaction. It looks beyond turn-taking to consider participation as a multimodal phenomenon, including actions such as posture and gaze. It also expands the scope of classroom conversation analysis in three ways: 1) by focusing on student actions 2) by incorporating multimodal analysis, and 3) by examining both language learning contexts and non-L2 classrooms. In doing so the book uncovers how the identity of ‘being a student’ is enacted and provides implications for practice, teacher education and observation including emphasis on teacher interactional awareness and reflective practice.

Christine M. Jacknick is Associate Professor in Academic Literacy and Linguistics at Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York