The inexperienced teacher should begin the year with a plan grounded in information from effective classroom models. Knowledge of what activities to select, in what sequence to place them, and how to communicate with students about the selected activities might relieve much of the doubt and anxiety that can cloud professional judgment and…

This article examines major trends in research on the teaching process, emphasizing two models for studying classroom interactions--process-product and descriptive. Also discussed is interpersonal interaction as it is studied in social psychology. (CB)

This article: (1) describes the characteristics and duration of transitions between units of classroom activities; and (2) investigates how transitions are achieved by three effective junior high school teachers. (CB)

Developing a classroom environment where students share their ideas, feelings, and perceptions can be a challenge for the teacher. Language acquisition begins in the home and many teachers are finding ways to incorporate key aspects of the home environment into communication activities in school. Computer software that may expand the communicative…

Teachers and students must build semantic connections between words of the text and already familiar ways of speaking, integrating the formal language of the subject into their own ways of speaking. This article demonstrates how classroom dialogue can help make textbook language part of the language of the students. (IAH)

Creating opportunities and encouraging student-centered questioning requires a special teacher-student dynamic. Students need to be empowered to ask questions. The article explores what teachers can learn from questions students ask, focusing on learning outcomes for teachers, and using a second-grade lesson on Harriet Tubman as an example. (SM)

Examines circumstances under which teachers, as guardians of culture, might define themselves not as gatekeepers for the received wisdom of culture, but as keyholders who unmask authoritative knowledge and cultural domination. In this context, the article discusses the importance of student voice; mimetic, liberal, and critical teaching; and…