Six group games were introduced into a second-grade bilingual classroom. Children's talk during each game was classified using a modification of Dyson's five language functions (representational, directive, heuristic, personal, and interactional). Group games provided many communication opportunities. Some children tried new communication styles.…

These communication guidelines, for mainstream teachers whose classes include deaf students, stress courtesy. Specific guidelines include (1) maintain visual lines of communication, (2) attend to the speaker (not the interpreter), (3) use pauses to let the interpreter catch up, (4) recognize speakers, and (5) foster a relaxed atmosphere. (DB)

A teacher recounts how a classroom atmosphere of comfort and trust was developed as 10- and 11-year-old students wrote a play, acted in it, directed it, and designed sets and costumes, based on the book "The Lion's Paw" by Robb White. (DB)

Discusses "politicized" teaching, distinguishing between taking up the politics of the classroom and offering up politics in the classroom. Offers two theoretical orientations for the exercise of rhetorical power in the classroom and proposes some suggestions for generating and sustaining dialogic classroom discourse. (SR)

A survey of Australian teachers of the deaf and their classroom communicative practices found that many used speech with sign and most used Australasian Signed English, with most able to demonstrate that they could correctly encode the system. (six references) (Author/CB)

Describes an introductory course in instructional communication research for graduate students. Discusses the rationale for such a course, course goals, units and readings, and student evaluation. (SR)

A discussion of the Socratic method for college-level teaching looks at the three primary components of the method (systematic questioning, inductive reasoning, and universal definitions) and several additional relevant elements, including the testing of hypotheses and use of background information. One teacher's classroom techniques are…

Offers a narrative based on a real event, in the form of a "docustory," describing that moment when teaching worked--when, in an instructional setting, communication was "perfect,""best," or "excellent." Describes a retired teacher's memories of four students who taught him what it was to be a teacher. (SR)

Offers a narrative based on a real event, in the form of a "docustory," describing that moment when teaching worked--when, in an instructional setting, communication was "perfect,""best," or "excellent." Describes a university course that involves performance and oral history, in which students perform stories of their own or others' loss or…

Offers a narrative based on a real event, in the form of a "docustory," describing that moment when teaching worked--when, in an instructional setting, communication was "perfect" or "excellent." Describes a watershed moment during the campus unrest of the 1960s when a professor learned it is morally wrong for teachers to play power games with…

Asks how teachers can communicate in such a way as to compel students to think critically about the content and the inherent social relations and underlying ideology of a course. Views the classroom as a dramatic, hence rhetorical, environment. Draws on Brechtian theory to suggest three communication principles for inciting critical thinking:…

Examines student perceptions of instructor compliance-gaining behavior. Finds differences among perceptions at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester and that greater affective and cognitive learning was associated with less use of antisocial compliance-gaining techniques and more use of prosocial techniques. (SR)

Outlines the Conversational Discussion Group framework, an approach to help teachers shift from traditional, teacher-led discussions to peer discussions about literature. Discusses several questions that teachers ask as they make this shift from centralized discussion structures. (SR)

Presents effective techniques for leading productive classroom discussions, noting that the techniques increase teachers' and students' abilities to speak and listen. Discusses creating a supportive classroom climate, including all students, and using instructional language. (SR)

Examines the relationship of student questions to teacher comments in college classrooms across the university. Finds 6 categories of student questions (with an average of 3.6 student questions asked per hour of instruction), 8 categories of antecedent teacher comments, and 7 categories of consequent teacher comment. Considers explanations and…