Children's knowledge of the use of objects helped determine whether children's actions indicate their understanding of the functional use of objects independent of their ability to verbally describe the object or its function. Found that older children made fewer phenomenism errors but that the majority were still able to show the function of the…

Describes the use of formal writing and speaking in upper level geometry and analysis courses. Includes student journals, students reviewing written proofs with a student writing associate, and simulated conferences. Includes a 16-item list of possible topics. (Author/MKR)

Techniques for effective communication include determining what is to be accomplished; avoiding generalities; making words and actions congruent; avoiding indirect communication; visualizing ideas; asking for clarification; avoiding unnecessary questions; being aware of how inanimate objects effect communication; avoiding overcommunication; using…

This study found that narratives of 41 parents of 29 autistic children were similar in length to controls' narratives but were less complex and less coherent. A subgroup of the parents produced either skeletal or rambling narratives, consistent with the hypothesis of a genetic liability for mild forms of autism that include impaired language…

One way in which larger social conflicts influence classroom conversations is described. The analysis of linguistic clues uncovers conflict at an implicit level between worker-class White teachers and lower-class African-American students. A level of interactional activity is described in which speakers implicitly position themselves with respect…

School boards should not tolerate having any members subjecting teachers--either individually or as a profession--to harsh criticism and extremely negative statements. Teacher bashing can cause employee relations to decline, and teachers' negative attitudes to permeate the schools. Ultimately, students are the losers. (MLF)

Investigates university department chairs' use of compliance-gaining techniques and the influence of these techniques on faculty job satisfaction and ratings of chair performance. Finds that department chairs most frequently use compliance-gaining techniques from the power classification labeled "values/obligations." (SR)

Examines the use and influence of compliance-gaining strategies by graduate teaching assistants in the college classroom. Compares these power patterns to those of university professors. Indicates that use of behavior alteration techniques is significantly related to student affective learning. (SR)

Examines the social organization of a daily group meeting in an American primary school classroom to determine the effects of contextualization cues, that the teacher occasionally omits, on achieving social order in the classroom. Contains 35 references. (GLR)

Children either saw, were told about, or felt the contents of a toy tunnel. They were asked what was in the tunnel and how they knew the contents. Three year olds had difficulty identifying the sources of their knowledge. Questions that involved inference proved to be especially difficult for them. (BC)

First-hand experience of artworks and natural and made objects increases young children's aesthetic awareness as well as giving them a vocabulary to describe them. Discussion helps children understand and extend their powers of imagination, reasoning, and problem solving. (SK)

In two experiments, five phoneticians rated the dissimilarity of two pitch contours to investigate whether important audible differences would correspond with visually conspicuous differences between displayed pitch contours. Results indicate that visual feedback may be very effective in intonation training if auditorily relevant features of pitch…

This study investigated the effectiveness of four different methods for measuring the similarity of pitch contours. The correlation coefficient between two normalized contours was the best method; however, if pitch range is important, the mean distance and the root-mean-square distance should be considered first in automatic training in…

A study investigated whether 20 individuals (ages 9 to 19) with mental retardation would use "common ground" (i.e., physical copresence, linguistic copresence, and community membership) to resolve verbal referential ambiguity. Both participants and matched-mental-age controls used all sources of common ground, but were less successful in using…

Illustrates how teachers can build their students' social competence by integrating indiscrete social skills into the academic curriculum. States that the challenge for those who teach high-risk youth is to recognize and support the protective factors that build on strengths and enhance resiliency. (Author/MKA)