I report the results of an analysis of an episode of elementary school second language mathematics classroom talk focused on the classification of geometric forms, drawing on a dialogic, sources of meaning perspective. The episode was selected because participants make use of a variety of features of language, including vocabulary, gestures and…

This article highlights four routines that use visual images and open questions to invite students to discuss, justify, make arguments, and question their own thinking as well as their classmates' thinking. The authors share specific classroom examples from each routine that highlight the meaningful discourse they can inspire. Teacher prompts and…

We focus on children's approaches to managing group work in classrooms where collaborative learning principles are explicit. Small groups of 8-10 year olds worked on collaborative science activities using an interactive whiteboard. Insubsequent interviews, they spoke of learning to "be patient" and "wait", for multiple social…

Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) have been widely introduced to English primary schools (5-11 years) in the last decade and this has generated much research interest. In the past, research has focused on IWB-use in teacher-led sessions, attending particularly to the nature of teacher-pupil interaction at the IWB and the apparent motivational…

To hold student interest, distance learning instructors need to think and present ideas visually. Presentations should be limited to three or four key points that would benefit from visual depiction. Visual aids used for presentation may be image-related, concept-related, or arbitrary graphics. Sophistication of visual aid is not as important as…

Sees the blackboard as perhaps the most versatile of all teaching aids and illustrates the art of expressing ideas with as few strokes as possible. Illustrations include figures, diagrams, and printing gimmicks with sample applications to various phonological and structural problems. (MES)

The use of picture line-up activities, classroom exercises in which students must place a series of pictures in correct order, is discussed. The advantages of use of a picture series instead of simple pairs are examined, a basic activity is described, and ideas for implementation, adaptation, and follow-up are outlined. The basic activity uses…

A guide to second language teaching methods is designed for language teachers giving French instruction to Peace Corps volunteers. It consists of an introductory section on the aims and organization of a related series of instructional guides and an extensive section on 32 specific classroom techniques and activities for use with that series. Each…

Each of the four sections of this staff development guide focuses on areas of skills which assistant teachers must possess, namely, skills in (1) communication and interaction, (2) child development and discipline, (3) management and organization, and (4) facilitation of learning in activity centers. Communication skills are discussed in terms of…

This book will answer the following questions for first time teachers: (1) "Where do I start when planning the curriculum?"; and (2) "How do I manage the classroom?" Ten of the best teaching methods are dealt with in detail, helping teachers to: (1) give effective presentations; (2) create visual aids; and (3) guide student talk and thought.…

In a doctoral pharmacy course, student pairs were assigned presentations on topics related to specific anemias or blood disorders, and given one-and-a-half hours to present the material, with posters as visual aids, and to answer questions. The method is seen as promoting active learning, critical thinking, and professional presentation skills,…

A Peace Corps workshop for prospective language teachers is reported. The workshop's goals were to train a team of teacher candidates in effective language instruction methods, Peace Corps organization and operations, cross-cultural skills, and adult second language instruction techniques. Workshop content covered: discussion of the teacher…