Analysis of two lessons
In this section, we describe how each of the 25 lesson niicrogenres is expressed through the multimodal pedagogic discourse in the lesson. While talk is usually the main semiotic mode in which the discourse is realised, we will also consider how the other semiotic modes, such as gestures, movement, and positioning, can express the pedagogic discourses in the classroom multimodally.
The examples of the lesson microgenres are drawn from a case study of a General Paper lesson, described also as English lesson, conducted by Lee and Mei (pseudonyms) at a pre-university in Singapore from Lim (2011). Lee and Mei differ in gender and also in teaching experience. Lee, male, in his twenties, is a novice teacher with less than two years of experience in teaching General Paper. Mei, female, in her thirties, is an experienced teacher and has taught General Paper for more than ten years. She also holds leadership appointment in the English Department and is involved in the planning of the curriculum and the Scheme of Work for the teachers in the school.
Lee’s lesson covers 6035 seconds (» 100 minutes) and Mei’s lesson covers 5633 seconds (~ 93 minutes) in duration. In the descriptions of the lesson microgenres below, the time, as well as the percentage of total time, the teacher spends on each lesson microgenre is presented. This is to provide a sense of the proportion of lesson time committed to the specific discourse. The difference in overall lesson timing is because Mei walks into the classroom several minutes after the bell has rung, a common practice for many teachers in the school. Both teachers also do not dismiss the class immediately after the bell has rung but continue with the lesson closure up to several minutes after the bell.
Both Lee and Mei’s lesson are selected for analysis and comparisons because of the similarities they share contextually. Situated as the final lesson before the Preliminary Examinations, the lesson genre is that of a Review Lesson. Given these similarities, it is interesting to observe how each teacher expresses unique pedagogies through their use of semiotic resources to design different lesson experiences for their students.
Lesson initiation
Discourse ou Greetings can be realised through gestures such as a nod of the head and facial expressions, for example a smile of acknowledgement. Typically, with language, Discourse on Greetings is expressed through social formalities, such as with the adjacency pairs‘OK, Morning everyone’by Mei to elicit the response of'Good Morning’ from the students. Discourse on Greetings is located both in the main categories of Lesson Initiation and Lesson Closure. Beyond phatic communion realising mainly interpersonal meanings, Discourse on Greetings can be used as a marker of structure to bring a sense of regulation into the lesson. This is because Discourse on Greetings in the pedagogic setting has evolved into a signal for the official beginning and ending of the lesson. This is evident in Mei’s lesson where she spends 29 seconds (0.52%) on Discourse on Greetings.This includes her verbal greeting as she positions herself in an authoritative space, in the front centre of the classroom, pausing as she waits for the students to get ready, stand up from their seats, and return her verbal greetings. This social ritual is performed both at the beginning and at the end of her lesson.
Discourse on Attendance occurs when the teacher checks if specific students are present in class. This can be expressed through gestures as the teacher points and silently counts the number of students in the classroom. It could also be expressed with the use of an attendance sheet, where the teacher ticks otf the names of students in the class. Linguistically, the Discourse of Attendance was expressed by Lee who said, ‘Now, let’s wait for some of you to turn up.’ Time spent on the Discourse on Attendance suggests the teacher’s emphasis on student’s attendance. Interpersonally, the teacher asserts power and control over the students through the Discourse on Attendance, which is an example of the regulative discourse of schooling. Lee spends 15 seconds (0.25%) on Discourse on Attendance. There is no Discourse on Attendance in Mei’s lesson.
Discourse on Homework Check refers to discussion relating to work set from the previous lesson.This is realised linguistically, for instance,in Lee’s series of interrogations, ‘I asked you to read the text. Did you read the text?’ and in Mei’s questions,‘You were supposed to have gone back to do your research right? You have not done it huh?’ Discourse on Homework Check is also realised multimodally through activities where students submit the homework, either passing down the rows to the front, or walking up to the teacher and handing the homework to him — though seldom the other way, where the teacher walks to collect it from the students. It would be a marked selection if that were to occur. This is because, interpersonally, the power of the teacher is asserted through the Discourse on Homework Check as it involves control and monitoring to ensure students have been compliant to instructions given in the preceding lesson. Lee spends 7 seconds (0.13%) and Mei about 9 seconds (0.16%) on Discourse on Homework Check.
Discourse on Lesson Objectives orientates the students to the aims of the lesson. Discourse on Lesson Objectives occurs when the teacher explicates the aims of the lesson. For instance, Lee explains,‘This time I am targeting AQ (Application Question) because I think AQ is the place where we can score more marks.’ Likewise, Mei states explicitly in her Discourse on Lesson Objectives, ‘The focus of today’s lesson is on AQ’. While mostly realised through talk. Discourse on Lesson Objectives often takes place in the authoritative spaces in the classroom, such as the teacher moving into the front centre of the classroom or speaking around the teacher’s desk. Lee spends about 63 seconds (1.06%) and Mei about 21 seconds (0.36%) on Discourse on Lesson Objectives. Lee spends more time on Discourse on Lesson Objectives because he introduces a new tool, in the form of a template to aid in the answering of the Application Question, a type of question in the comprehension examinations.
Discourse on Administration refers to administrative matters unrelated to teaching and learning. This could be realised without accompanying speech, for instance, when the teacher hands out forms or letters to specific students without elaboration. Both teacher and student operate on a common assumption that the document is self-explanatory. In Lee’s lesson, about 2 minutes (2.11%) is spent on the Discourse on Administration. This is because Lee’s lesson is the first lesson of the day. During that period, all schools were issued an advisory for temperature monitoring of students due to the Swine Flu epidemic. As such. Lee spent time on having students take their own temperature using their personal thermometer and having them record it down in the form provided.
Discourse on Revision occurs when the teacher makes references to what has been taught in the previous lesson to contextualise the focus for the day’s lesson. This is mostly expressed through language. For instance, Lee explains, ‘During the last few weeks... We look back on common test papers.’ Likewise, Mei reminds the students, ‘Remember last week I gave you Set 1... I did walk through the sample with you, did I?’ Lee spends 30 seconds (0.5%) and Mei spends slightly more time at 49 seconds (0.87%) on Discourse on Revision. Both teachers point to the lesson materials as the point of reference to what has been previously taught.
Discourse on Explanation of Event is not a typical lesson microgenre as it occurs due to the fact that the specific lesson was being observed by the researchers as part of a study. In the two lessons, the Discourse on Explanation of Event provides information to the students about this study. Lee spends 43 seconds (0.71%) and Mei spends 36 seconds (0.64%) on this. Lee instructs the students to be as natural as possible. He explains,‘First thing, this is for research purpose. So we don’t have to act and make sure that this is a perfect class.’ Mei reminds the students that they have the option to leave the class and see her for a make-up session if they do not wish to participate in the study. She emphasises,‘I am serious. If you are uncomfortable you could just step out.’
