Developing Classroom Interactional Competence of Pre-service Teachers at University through Online Lesson-Plan Studies and Reflective Practice

Abstract

Classroom discourse plays a significant role in communicative English classes. Interaction between a teacher and students creates an ʻacquisition richʼ environment in the classroom if it can be managed effectively. However, English classes in Japan have not been interactive, not meeting the latest policies set and mandated by the national guidelines for teaching. This study investigates classroom interactional competence (CIC), focusing especially on its development in pre-service teacher training programmes at the university level. It reports the problems found in lesson-plan studies. It shows that the training through lesson-plan studies and reflective practice (RP) can be effective even in online classes.