An Analysis of the Interactions in English Class ——Types of self and other relations and the behavior patterns

張夢琳

【Abstract】Interaction has always been a core in English class. Based on the concepts of self and the other， this paper concludes the relation between teachers and students as teacher the self， student the self and dialectical self， which respectively reflected in interaction patterns as commanding， emancipatory and democratic. Democratic interaction based on dialectical self relation proves to be the best mode of interaction in English class， which brings more harmony and high efficiency.

【Key words】interaction； English class； self and the other； behavior patterns

Interaction between teachers and students is regarded as the core of teaching process. Johnson claims that “it is in the interaction process that acquisition occurs” （2000： 95）. Theoretically， self is the individuals cognition of its own state of being， the cognition of its relationship with the world around. The other means all the humans and things except “the self”. Any existences external of “the self”， no mater it is in which form， are all recognized as “the other” （張劍，2011）. The self and the other are two concepts mutually constructed. In English class， the self and the other refer to teachers and students.

I. Teacher the Self—Commanding interaction

Teachers have been dominating the English class by one-way inculcating. It is called commanding interaction. Teachers play the role of the self and students the other. Due to the existence of students， teacher the self is able to justify its superiority in learning and experience. Thus， teachers become the core of the stage. They interact with students by controlling students behaviors and expecting their obedience. Though students can accomplish the tasks with higher speed and learning objectives are achieved in high efficiency， negative feelings may appear in this process， including inactivity， stress， hostility， etc. In this way， students either absorb the contents silently or turn a blind eye to the teacher. Some even become involved in unnecessary conflict with teachers for they believe they are not fully respected or treated fairly. In this type of interaction， teacher the self and students the other form a relation of control and obey.

II. Students the Self—Emancipatory interaction

With the arising of students self-awareness， students turn to be the self with superiority since they has increasingly been given the title of Masters of the class and as a result， enjoy extensive freedom. Meanwhile， teachers retreat behind the scene. This is called emancipatory interaction. Teachers the other just give some simple guide based on the teaching plans but do not raise specific learning requirements to students. Students the self have the freedom to decide whether to learn and what to learn. On one hand， students fail to develop much in school performance and personal emotion due to their lack of experience. On the other hand， teachers may find it difficult to evaluate students performance and thus have no idea of how to improve their own way of teaching. In this way， students the self and teachers the other form a relation of estrangement.

III. Dialectical Self—Democratic interaction

This kind of interaction holds that the self is the other， the other is the self in that these two parts cannot exist separately. Thus， teachers and students are both the self and the other. Therefore， a democratic interaction is established when students are encouraged to voice their opinion and actively take part in class and teachers provides positive guidance and effective assistance to students. In this way， teachers and students need to cooperate to accomplish their collective teaching and learning goals. The alternation of the self and the other makes the class organic and flexible. Meanwhile， students do well in school performance and emotion development and teachers can also understand students needs and then do adjustment to their own teaching plan and methods. In this type of interaction， teachers and students the dialectical self form a relation of negotiation and cooperation.

Conclusion

From teacher-dominated to student-mastered， the best mode of teacher-student interaction has always been pursued. However， neither of these two modes， one demanding the other emancipatory， is desirable under the circumstance of new curriculum reform. In fact， a harmonious and benign teacher-student relation proves to be dialectical. The two sides should exchange their roles every now and then for it would lead to a democratic interaction in English class while students explore， cooperate， self-regulate and teachers monitor， evaluate and assist.

References：

[1]Johnson，Karen E.Understanding Communication in Second Language Classrooms[M].Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，2000.