Learner Uptake in Communicative ESL Lessons

Ellis, Basturkmen and Loewen (2001) distinguished pre-emptive and reactive form-focused episodes occurring in task-based lessons.

“Ellis, Basturkmen and Loewen (2001) distinguished pre-emptive and reactive form-focused episodes (FFEs) that occurred in task-based lessons.”

Successful uptake was more likely to occur in learner-initiated pre-emptive and in reactive form-focused episodes than in teacher-initiated pre-emptive episodes.

“They reported that successful uptake was more likely to occur in learner-initiated pre-emptive and in reactive FFEs than in teacher-initiated pre-emptive FFEs.”

Even speaking tasks can be carried out through teacher-class interaction.

“Even speaking tasks can be conducted through teacher-class interaction, as illustrated in Ellis, Basturkmen and Loewen (2001) and Loewen (2005).”

Other researchers have noted that the same kinds of interactional sequences can occur in a classroom where there is negotiation of form, that is, negotiation occurs even though there is no communication problem.

“Other researchers (e.g.Lyster 2001;Ellis, Basturkmen & Loewen 2001), however, have noted that the same kinds of interactional sequences can occur in a classroom where there is negotiation of form (i.e.negotiation occurs even though there is no communication problem).”

Teachers sometimes pre-empt a problem, for example by reminding students to pay attention to a particular grammatical feature when they perform a task, and learners sometimes pre-empt as when they initiate questions about linguistic forms.

“As Ellis, Basturkmen & Loewen (2001) noted in their study of focus on form episodes in communicative ESL classes, there are occasions when teachers pre-empt a problem, for example, by reminding students they need to pay attention to a particular grammatical feature when they perform a task and learners also sometimes pre-empt as when they initiate questions about linguistic forms.”

In lessons where there is a primary focus on meaning, focus on form occurs frequently.

“In lessons where there is a primary focus on meaning, focus on form occurs frequently (Ellis, Basturkmen & Loewen, 2001); Nassaji (2010).”

In a classroom context, relatively few focus on form episodes concern pragmatic aspects of language.

“In a classroom context, relatively few episodes concern pragmatic aspects of language (Ellis, Basturkmen & Loewen, 2001).”