The present study examined the effect of a pedagogical intervention about humorous verbal irony in Spanish with a mixed group of 40 second language (L2) and heritage speakers of Spanish. Unlike previous studies that have considered only irony comprehension, this project incorporated both comprehension and production of irony into instruction and…

English-medium instruction classes in higher education are increasing in countries where English is not the first language. Though these courses offer advantages, they also offer concerns and challenges. One of these challenges is creating a rapport between a teacher and students who are working in a language that is not their own. Rapport is…

While humour and laughter create conditions that are conducive for learning, different forms of children's humour have been given little attention in research on digital media, literacy learning, and multimodal design. Applying a Bakhtinian lens, we analyse carnivalesque videos created by elementary students as part of the formal curriculum. We…

The study investigates how language is used among 17 children in a dual language classroom as they create academic-based one-act plays in conjunction with social studies instruction. Examining over 20 hours of video, the teacher researcher analyzes students' use of translanguaging during cooperative groupings in order to co-accomplish an…

In line with recent critiques of communicative language teaching (Byrnes and Maxim 2004; Byrnes 2006), this paper considers how instances of spontaneous, creative language play can afford access to a range of linguistic practices that are often devalued or ignored in classrooms. To this end, it examines how university students in an advanced…

Notes that information presented in dialog form in a foreign language lends itself more easily to conversation than does intricate narrative prose. Using background information on Halloween, the article adapts the text to present information about the target culture as well as to humorously present facts about the North American festivity.…

Discusses techniques for teaching descriptive adjectives in second-language classrooms that rely on humor to help relieve the stress of learning situations. Specific examples of Spanish adjectives and humorous phrases are provided. (contains two references) (MDM)

Anxiety can impede language learning. By using the Community Language Learning method, a teacher helped young Spanish-language learners in Puerto Rico break through almost impenetrable social and psycholinguistic barriers that threatened their capability of learning a new language. This method focuses on strategies that reduce anxiety as the…

This article profiles Toni Billingsley, an African-American teacher teaching Spanish classes at the Academy of Communications and Technology Charter School in the West Garfield Park section of Chicago. This article also describes her unique teaching methods. Billingsley uses clever puns, outright slapstick, sly references to black popular culture…

These Proceedings document an educational research forum held at Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) on December 7, 2005. Table of contents and 26 research studies of high school teaching are included. Studies include: (1) Mathematical Reasoning in Multiple Representations: Connections and Confidence (Justin Allman); (2) The…

This collection of research projects includes: "What Types of Questions Do Mathematics Teachers Ask?" (Cynthia L. Adams); "Will Alternate Assessment Formats Create a Difference in Student Motivation to Study?" (Robyn J. Allen); "Factors Affecting the Motivation of Students" (Dejon J. Banks); "The Dynamics of…

This document presents the proceedings of an annual educational research forum held at Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) on December 10, 2003. A table of contents and 31 research studies of high school teaching are included. The following studies are included: (1) No, Seriously: Humor Use by High School Social Studies Teachers…