The topic of silence and "the Chinese learner" has been extensively studied often in relation to cross-cultural adjustment, intercultural issues, learning styles, language ability and differences of classroom expectations. These studies have often led to recommendations to understand silence and "the Chinese learner" in more…

Relates experiences of three colleagues who organized the panel "Confronting Class in and out of the Classroom" at a Conference on Basic Writing workshop. Suggests social class has been ignored in composition studies; neglect appears to be ending; neglect must end; and instructors' own class histories must be understood and accepted…

Describes materials that have been developed that are concerned largely with "metacommunication," the type of communication used by teachers to check whether messages have been received and understood. They are used to instruct Chinese-speaking teachers of mathematics, art, science, physical communication, and music to teach in English. (PJM)

Explains how brain separates foreground from background in response to its continual need to simplify the surrounding environment; discusses educational/counseling implications of growing understanding of relevant brain mechanisms and processes; and suggests nontechnical explanations and discussion ideas that counselors can use when working with…

The critical literacy classroom is characterized by an emphasis on students' voices and on dialogue as a tool with which students reflect on and construct meanings from texts and discourses. Is it appropriate, however, to teach critical literacy in settings such as penal institutions where student voices are deliberately discouraged and silenced?…

As a long-term advocate for, and practitioner of, both Paulo Freire's theory of "liberatory education" and bell hooks's "engaged pedagogy," the author subscribes to their principles of encouraging freedom of thought through active dialogue and the dialogic in an attempt to empower students by making the classroom a space that opens up to radical…

Discusses the dynamics of the language lesson. It is argued that the lesson represents at least four types of events: a curricular event, an implementation of a method, a social event, and an arena of human interaction. (3 references) (GLR)

This investigation focused on teachers' questioning skills and the use of wait time (length of pauses after questions). A sample of 40 experienced middle school science teachers from 5 suburban school districts in 1 central New York State county was divided into 4 treatment groups of 10 teachers each. One group received instruction in wait time…

Reports the findings and implications of an attempt to look closely into the social relations in a multicultural language classroom in Britain. Study results suggest the importance of the classroom as a society and that these dynamics may be influencing the pedagogic outcomes. (21 references) (GLR)

Provides suggestions for improving the interpersonal communications skills of teachers and students. Deals particularly with methods for dissolving negative feelings between teacher and student to encourage cooperation in problem-solving education. (KH)

Presents two brief articles. Discusses the Conference on Basic Writing's (CBW) workshop, "Race, Class, and Culture in the Basic Writing Classroom" and how it came about. States that the theory and practice of mainstreaming was the center around which issues coalesced. Discusses the invisibility of class as a site of struggle and a place…

Indicates how new theorizing on the body can be brought to bear on pedagogical work. Argues that a teacher's body needs to be remembered in writing about teaching and learning because it produces desire in pedagogical events. Shows ways that work on corporeality counters mainstream writing about students and teachers. (DSK)

This article is republished from "The Canadian Modern Language Review," 60, 4, pp. 501-526. It is published as an article exchange between the "MLJ" and the "CMLR." The articles for the exchange were selected by committees from the Editorial Board of each journal according to the following criteria: articles of…

The most prevalent variable manifesting itself in schools is communication or, at least, it seems to be a most pervasive variable. What is communication? In what ways do humans communicate in schools? And how might the concept "school communication" be defined? To investigate possible ways to respond to these and other such questions,…

Linguists have recognized the need for appropriateness, sincerity, non-obviousness, and cooperation between speakers in naturally occurring conversation. It is assumed that the speakers listen to each other and in some sense "care" about one another at the time of interaction. In the second language classroom such a sense of mutual concern may not…