Worked examples for peer interaction: a feedback and learning resource

Abstract

Feedback penetrates many walks of our lives, and its importance in L2 teaching and assessment is well recognised. However, while corrective feedback and writing feedback have been the focus of much L2 research and classroom practice, there seems relatively little attention to feedback on spoken interactional skills. Concomitantly, translating research on interactional competence (IC) to classroom practice has been a glacial process. Aiming at supporting teachers in providing assessment feedback and teaching IC in the classroom, this article introduces worked examples of peer interactions as a feedback and learning resource. Adopting a procedure used in conversation analytic (CA) research, the worked examples are designed to guide learners to notice and understand IC features in context, at a less cognitively demanding pace for processing, and promote learners’ active engagement with the feedback or teaching focus. The article concludes with suggestions for teachers to develop similar resources for their local contexts.