ABSTRACT
The classroom is the crucible – the place where teachers and learners come together and language learning, we hope, happens.
(Allwright and Bailey, 1991: 18, citing Gaies, 1980)
This chapter will:
• consider the social as well as pedagogic character of English lan - guage teaching classrooms;
• explore how teachers assume a variety of roles in class, and investi - gate how these roles may affect language learning and ‘classroom life’;
• investigate how patterns of classroom interaction, including teacher and learner talk, error and error treatment and teachers’ questions, may affect opportunities for language learning;
• encourage readers to reflect on their own beliefs and classroom practices, while acknowledging possible alternatives.
