FLANDERS CLASSROOM INTERACTION CATEGORY SYSTEM AS A TOOL
OF TEACHING
*Dr. Jasraj Kaur
**Jasdeep Kamal Kaur Tatla
*Associate Professor, Department of Education C.S., Punjabi University Patiala
**Research Scholar, Department of Education C.S., Punjabi University Patiala.
ABSTRACT
Education with its linked activities of teaching and learning process involves interaction
between teacher and students as channels of grasping its objectives. Interaction occur everyday
in teaching and learning process. It is managed by everybody, not only by the teacher in the
classroom but also the students. This interaction is usually used to direct their ideas together. The
process of teaching and learning is as old as human beings on the earth. It has been carried out by
human beings and even by animals to impart their young ones for successful adjustment in the
environment. Teaching, as conservatively understood by a traditional teacher, is just the act of
distributing information to the learner in the classroom. It is generally equated with telling. If we
observe traditional classroom teaching, we find that either the teacher is bringing information or
one of the students is reading from the text book and other students are silently following him in
their own text books. Conventional teaching is simply chalk and talk approach in which students
remain passive learners. Instruction is ill structured and rote learning is heavily accentuated. It is
simply chalk and talk tactic to teaching. Mostly the results of students are not acceptable due to
the presence of this approach. Nowadays need to we use new means of teaching. It’s mostly
possible through training to teacher trainees in teacher education. Flanders classroom interaction
is excellent for active participation of students in the classroom activities. This paper includes the
Flanders classroom interaction categories and its effect on teaching learning process.
INTRODUCTION
Education is divided into three main modules. The teaching-learning process, learner and
teacher. Teaching is a composite activity, which is a cluster of different roles and
responsibilities. Teaching is an interactive approach where equal significance is given to the
learner and the teacher. The teaching-learning process is the important variable that influence
directly on accomplishment of the students. The effective teaching strategy helps the students to
attain the educational objectives in a healthier way. So nowadays teacher trainees needs
familiarity about uses of Flanders classroom interaction. The term classroom interaction refers to
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the interaction between teacher and learners in the classrooms. Brown (2001) defined interaction
as the heart of communicative competence. When a learner interacts with another learner he/she
receives input and produces output.
Teaching is a sculpture and the teacher is a sketcher. As the sketcher is governed by certain
scientific principles, which help him acquire expertise in his profession, so a teacher is also
governed by certain principles, which help him acquire skill in teaching. The material (students)
of the teacher is living beings whom he has to outline according to some principles. The teacher
must know to develop intellectual characteristics of children at different age levels so that he can
take the lead of the attentiveness and enthusiasm of the students in a learning task. Following are
some of the important principles of teaching:
 Already attained knowledge is put forth for better use.
 One must use his knowledge and abilities.
 To deliver distinctive guidance for individual differences.
 Principle of keenness.
 Objectives of the lesson should be explicitly defined.
The psychological principles should be followed by the teacher which have been developed by
great educators. The significant principles are:
 Progress from basic to advance
 Progress from actual to intellectual
 Progress from general to particular
 Progress from identified to unidentified
 Proceed from initiation to conclusion or vice-versa
 Arrange for recurrent reinforcement.
For passive teaching learning process after all these principles, Flanders classroom
interaction is most important. The interaction which takes place between the teacher and pupils is
known as teaching. Teaching is a dynamic and composite phenomenon involving teachers,
students and subject-matter. Teacher is an important feature in the process of student’s
development only if his teaching is an effective. So the teaching-learning process has the closest
relation with teacher’s teaching style and students’ learning style. Ch (2001) showed that
referential questions make more interaction between learners than display questions. Chaudron
(1988) stated that interaction is viewed as significant because it is argued that only through
interaction, the learner can decompose the teaching learning structures and derive meaning from
classroom events. Moreover, Allwright and Bailey (1991) stated that through classroom
interaction, the plan produces outcomes (input, practice opportunities, and receptivity). It can be
concluded that interaction plays very important role in teaching-learning process.
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Chaudron (1988) stated Interaction is viewed as significant because Only through
interaction, the learner can decompose the teaching learning structures and derive meaning from
classroom events Interaction gives learners the opportunities to incorporate teaching learning
structures into their own speech and the meaningfulness for learners of classroom events of any
kind, whether thought of as interactive or not will depend on the extent to which communication
has been jointly constructed between the teacher and learners.
Flanders (1963) originally developed Flanders Interaction Analysis. Flanders Interaction
Analysis system was designed to categorize the types and quantity of verbal interaction in the
classroom and to plot the information on a matrix so that it could be analyzed and interpreted.
The results gave a picture as to who was talking in the classroom, how much and kind of talking
that took place. Flanders Interaction Analysis became widely used coding system to analyze and
improve teacher student interaction pattern.
Flanders (1970) established ten Interaction Analysis Categories (FIAC) to describe the teaching
and learning processes according to the classroom language. These are as follows:
Teacher talk
 Accepts feeling: Feelings may be positive or negative and their calculation and eliciting
are included.
 Praises or encourages: it is includes positive talk, general discussion, telling jokes,
nodding head or using phrases like ‘Good! Go on’.
 Accepts or uses ideas of pupils: the teacher simplifies or develops students’ ideas.
 Asks questions: Questions may be about content or procedure.
 Lectures: Gives facts or views about content or technique.
 Gives directions, commands or orders.
 Criticizes or justifies authority: E.g. statements intended to change pupils’ behavior.
Pupil talk
 Response: Teacher initiates contact. Not all ideas are freely expressed.
 Initiation: Freedom to express their own ideas, initiate a topic, etc.
Silence
 Silence or confusion: Pauses, short periods of silence, confusion and blankness.
Smith et al. (2005) Studied classroom interaction in private schools serving low-income
families in Hyderabad, India. The findings discovered patterns of classroom interaction and
discourse similar to those reported in earlier studies of Indian government primary schools.
Teacher-led recitation, rote and repetition subjugated the classroom discourse with little attention
being paid to securing pupil understanding.
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Hai and Lim (2006) studied effectiveness of interaction analysis feedback on the verbal
performance of eight primary school mathematics teachers from Brunei-Maura district. Results
showed that the feedback groups accepted students feelings more, praised students more, used
student’s ideas and initiated more student talk in the classroom. Effects of the feedback were
encouraging with higher student academic accomplishment and more favorable attitudes after
teachers were given feedback.
Inamullah et al. (2008) explored teacher-student verbal interaction in the 15 secondary
level classes 600 students and 25 teachers using the Flanders Interaction Analysis system (FIA).
The results showed teachers talking time in the secondary level classroom was more than twothirds of the total class time and conclusions might be inspire teachers at secondary level to
improve their teaching behavior in order to maximize students learning.
Chao et al. (2011) studied the Supporting Interaction among Participants of Online
Learning Using the Knowledge Sharing Concept. The results showed that the learners assigned
with interaction supported by knowledge sharing flows had better success in terms of learning
effectiveness. That was, the concept of knowledge sharing significantly influences the interaction
throughout the use of a learning platform and was a way to enhance the learning effectiveness.
Congmin (2013) examined the relationship between interaction and second language
acquisition in the classroom among students of River states schools. Findings of the study
revealed that more involvement in interaction did not ensure better achievements. Learners learn
by engaging in interactions themselves but also by listening to interactions.
Azadi et al. (2015) studied the role of classroom interaction on improvement of speaking
among 30 English foreign language learners, Iran. The study had shown that there was a positive
and significant relationship between classroom interaction and speaking skills of English foreign
language learners. There was no difference between male and female learners in improving their
speaking proficiency through classroom interaction.
Quality of education, no doubt depends on the quality of teachers, this quality of methods
of teaching and interaction between student and teachers. Flanders Interaction Analysis Category
System a bold step the right direction to improve the quality of education. The analysis would
serve as a vital feedback to the teacher or teacher trainee about his intentions and actual behavior
in the classroom.
CONCLUSION
Teaching is an art and an ability to be learnt. It requires the knowledge of subject content,
method, techniques and teaching assistances or tools to be used for making teaching interesting
and effective. This, in fact, is the primary objective of education towards which the learners are
to be helped to grow socially, intellectually and emotionally too. For this purpose, the teachers
need a knowledge about variety of teaching approaches. More seminars or workshops should be
conducted to emphasis the importance of teacher –student interaction because if the teacher does
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not interact in healthier way with the students, there are chances, students will not understand the
concepts thoroughly and it will affect their academic achievements.
REFRENCES
Allwright, D and Bailey, K. M. (1991). Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to
Classroom Research for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Azadi, S.; Aliakbari, M. and Azizifar, A. (2015). The role of classroom interaction on
improvement of speaking among Iranian EFL learners. International Journal of
Language Learning and Applied Linguistic World, 8 (1), 126-135.
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principle an interactive approach to language pedagogy. (2nd
Ed.), White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Chao, Chih-Yang; Hwu, Shiow-Lin; Chang, Chi-Cheng (2011) Supporting Interaction Among
Participants of Online Learning Using the Knowledge Sharing Concept. Turkish Online
Journal of Educational Technology, 10(4) 311-319.
Congmin, Z. (2013). Classroom Interaction and Second Language Acquisition: The More
Interactions the Better? Studies in Literature and Language, 7 (1), 22-26.
Flanders, N. A. (1970). Analyzing Teacher Behavior. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley.
Inamullah, M. H.; Hussain, I. and Din N. M. (2008) Teacher-Students Verbal Interaction at the
Secondary Level. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 5 (9).
Hai, k. and Lim S. (2006) Effectiveness of Interaction Analysis Feedback on the Verbal
Behavior of Primary School Mathematics Teachers, Journal Pendidik Dan Pendelikon,
Jill. 21, 115–128, 2006.
Smith, F.; Hardman, F. and Tooley, J. (2005) Classroom interaction in private schools serving
low-income families in Hyderabad, India. International Education Journal, 6(5), 607618.
Suter, Ch. (2001). Exploring teachers question and feedback. University of Birmingham.
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