Taking a variable approach to the analyses of classroom interaction, Walsh (2006, 2011) has developed the notion of Classroom Interactional Competence, defined as the ability ‘to use interaction as a tool for mediating and assisting learning’ (2011: 158). The concept of CIC encompasses the features of classroom interaction that make the teaching/learning process more or less effective. These features are (a) maximising interactional space; (b) shaping learner contributions (seeking clarification, scaffolding, modelling, or repairing learner input); (c) effective use of eliciting; (d) instructional idiolect (i.e. a teacher’s speech habits); and (e) interactional awareness. It can be argued that all these interactional features become meaningful as long as they coincide with the pedagogical goal of the moment (Walsh, 2006). For instance, explicit corrections in a speaking activity when the focus is on meaning and fluency (i.e. what Walsh calls the classroom context mode) may be obstructive as it may be interruptive. This variable approach and the sensitivity towards local contingency in classroom talk has influenced more recent studies which have paid significant attention to multimodal and multilingual aspects of classroom interaction.