It is argued that an epistemic authority would induce greater influence in transmitting knowledge to students when there is a correspondence between the (authoritarian vs. democratic) style of the authority and students' perceptions of their relation to the authority (high vs. low epistemic dependence). In two studies it was predicted, and found,…

Authoritarian teaching practices in ballet inhibit the use of private speech. This paper highlights the critical importance of private speech in the cognitive development of young ballet students, within what is largely a non-verbal art form. It draws upon research by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky and contemporary socioculturalists, to…

This instructional note describes the successful application and adaptation of teacher-student conference techniques as suggested by Donald M. Murray in his book "A Writer Teaches Writing." Athanasourelis states that while he believes that Murray overestimates students' abilities when he describes the conference process as "the working talk of…

This publication is part of a series of monographs on the art of teaching. Each volume, focusing on a specific discipline, explores theory in the context of teaching strategies Three techniques for using the series: dialogues (as self-evaluation and in study groups), shop talk (review of current professional literature), and teacher-to-teacher…

This publication is part of a series of monographs on the art of teaching. Each volume, focusing on a specific discipline, explores theory in the context of teaching strategies connected to evaluation of both teachers' and students' learning. Three techniques are offered for using the series: dialogues (as self-evaluation and in study groups),…

Surveys that ask faculty to estimate how much time they spend on teaching, research, and service do not allow for activities which fulfill more than one purpose, fail to capture the patterns of actions that faculty perform to fulfill each purpose; and do not show how different features of organizational and disciplinary contexts affect the types…

In process-oriented composition studies, few concepts are more universally accepted than that of the decentered classroom. Ken Macrorie, Peter Elbow and Don Murray, in their publications of the late 1960s and early 1970s, began a movement to place students, with their writing and their ideas, at the center of writing instruction. While most…

This study examined the quality of verbal exchanges between teachers and children in 4 primary classrooms and the 4-year-old groups in 4 child care centers in Australia. Data were collected during small group activities for a minimum of 4 hours. Interactions were audiotaped, transcribed, and divided into messages which are equivalent to clauses…

This study analyzed personal and collaborative reflective activities and their effect on the development of a graduate student as both a learner and a teacher. As a learner, the graduate student kept a reflective journal for 5 consecutive quarters (15 months). Collaboration with colleagues took place in both formal and informal settings and…

The challenge facing the nonnative instructor is make his or her cultural uniqueness an asset instead of a liability. If nonnative speakers can never be fully accepted by American students because of their accent and different communication styles, they can employ teaching styles and methods that showcase their strong points. One teaching method…

In this study, teacher language was described at the beginning and end of a school year. A third-grade teacher's language directed toward the entire class of 20 students as well as toward a group of 5 language-impaired children within that class was examined separately. The teacher's language content, form and usage were analyzed separately from…

The role of block building in children's learning was studied by a student teacher who observed a teacher's block building curriculum in a combined first and second grade class. The purpose was to clarify the linkage between thinking and doing, spoken intention and actual consequences, and planning and spontaneity in the curriculum. The cycle of…

A series of taped interviews with undergraduates at Indiana University of Pennsylvania enrolled in a writing class yielded a number of findings about their responses to their instructor's marginal and terminal comments on their papers: (1) the comments least understood were the "blanket comments," those comments that the instructor used…

A study examined sex differences among peer writing tutors concerning the use of discipline-specific terms and the suggestion of revision strategies. Subjects, four male tutors, four female tutors, four male students, and four female students, were tape recorded for 11 minutes during one-on-one same-sex and opposite-sex peer conferences.…

Designed to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of effective teaching methods, ideas, and experiences of the the faculty at Broome Community College (BCC) in New York, the first volume of "Center Stage" includes the following articles: (1) "Teaching Resources Center Update"; (2) "Self-Reflectiveness in Teaching"; (3) "New Faculty…