Recently, there is a surge of interest in a wide range of learner emotions in the SLA field, underlining a holistic perspective of language learning emotions. The present study examines the relationships between the three prevalent emotions among language learners -- foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language anxiety (FLA), and foreign…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how teachers can use their Sgaw Karen students' names as a means to gaining awareness of their students' home culture, language and personal stories. Design/methodology/approach: This case study uses interviews with four Karen families to explore the meanings behind the names and nicknames given…

In this study, we investigated how various teaching behaviors influence student interest as a situational variable. Specifically, we studied how behaviors related to "catch" interest (i.e., ephemeral aspects of the learning environment such as instructor humor, nonverbal immediacy, intellectual stimulation) and "hold" interest…

This article is based upon a qualitative research study that examined 95 school stories written by Jewish female teacher candidates in an undergraduate education course. Many candidates wrote inspirational or humorous stories about growth and development or a special teacher. However, over one third of the narratives described painful Jewish day…

The school systems of many countries have been pervaded by student-centred pedagogy making students' small group discussion a common feature of the classroom practice.However, there is a lack of studies focussing different modes of discussion for the purpose of finding out whether some modes are more beneficial than others. Hence, the aim of this…

While there are certainly differences of opinion regarding teaching effectiveness, the goal of this study is to investigate whether there is consistency or differences in opinion based on the gender of the student doing the evaluation of the instructor or the gender of the instructor being evaluated. This paper summarizes the gender-based findings…

This study investigates the notion of "inspiring" teaching. The research was commissioned by CfBT as part of a collaborative professional development initiative involving its schools. It arose from headteachers' suggestions that schools nominate a number of "inspiring" teachers so that their practice could be studied and the…

Background/Context: Despite the importance of students' active engagement for learning, little is known about how teachers create environments that are supportive of students' positive motivational and learning-related beliefs, particularly at the high school level. Furthermore, most of the studies that have described teacher practices in relation…

Humor has been promoted as a teaching tool that enhances student engagement and learning. The present report traces the pathway from research to practice by reflecting upon various ways to incorporate humor into the face-to-face teaching of statistics. The use of humor in an introductory university statistics course was evaluated via interviews…

For decades, feminist teachers have been working in a chilly political climate. Rightwing critics claim that women's studies programs suffer from "insularity and narrowness, ideological bias, and a tendency toward misinformation." In the mainstream media, feminism is both vilified and trivialized. It's no wonder that many students doubt that…

Asserts that humor helps facilitate learning and reduce stress in the classroom. Addresses the use of humor in bibliographic instruction and encourages the use of humor with practical teaching tips. Provides examples of proper and improper uses of humor in the classroom. (CW)

For fifteen years, the presenter has engaged college students in discussions and writing assignments that pertain to the outstanding characteristics of their most effective teachers--"effective" meaning that these teachers made the most significant impact on their lives. Based on those recurring themes, the conclusion is that effective teachers…

This article focuses in on one teacher's kindergarten through grade 5 classroom experiences at Tennessee's Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences. While, this teaching range allows the teacher to witness the growth and development of students, as with every school, there are times when young people's attention tends to wander, and the…

Recounts experience of being an overweight preschool teacher. Discusses children's, colleagues', and parents' reactions to overweight people and to society's concept of obesity. Recommends humor to deal with weight issues in the classroom and tells of meaningful encounters with children about obesity. Describes other adults' embarrassment when…

As a teacher of 11-to 13-year-olds, the author sees that her role definitely requires a sense of humor. A charismatic personality and the ability to lighten things up go a long way toward an enjoyable relationship with this age group. For Michelle Willard, a certain amount of levity in dealing with typical developmental issues is the key to…