The Strategic Use of Frame in a Classroom Interaction

Abstract

This paper analyzes how frames and frame shifts are used in the interaction of one classroom speech event for pedagogic purposes. It particularly discusses how the teacher integrates the new concepts to the students' existing body of knowledge (knowledge schema) by using diverse types of frames in order to accomplish what Vygotsky (1962) refers to as "zone of proximal development." This process intends to enhance the students' knowledge by lifting them up to a higher cognitive level of functioning. The paper shows how third grade students confront no difficulty shifting from one frame to another. It also focuses on the dynamic nature of the relationship between the frames and the students' knowledge schema.