This pamphlet discusses the use of questioning in the college classroom and its contribution to learning. Starting with a brief examination of the ways children question, discussions cover: (1) the effects of linguistic and socio-linguistic characteristics in questioning; (2) questions in psychotherapy, law, and opinion polling; (3) classroom…

A study defined more clearly the role of apprehension, motivation, and gender in student questioning. A survey of 118 questions was given to 156 students enrolled in an introductory communication course. The questions were designed to study student perception of the nature of questioning and to examine student-related and instructor-related…

A case study examined the processes by which girls and boys in their first month of primary school assume particular, highly gendered subjectivities within the school setting. Subjects, 28 children of diverse multicultural origins entering a suburban primary school in a large regional center in southern Victoria, Australia, were observed in the…

Techniques for getting students of English as a second language to communicate in the classroom beginning on the first day are based on a relaxed classroom atmosphere and a well-prepared teacher. First-day activities should be well-planned, clearly presented, and move at a pace that keeps students' attention. The goal is for students to respond…

Author suggests various methods to improve teacher-student relationships such as open houses, learning students names and being available for informal talk sessions. (BR)

The findings of this study showed that a certain type of teacher had a significantly greater impact on the task orientation of one type of student than another. (RC)

A discussion of student competence focuses on two types of competence required of students: the integration of academic content and interactional form (e.g., turn-taking, producing ordered and coherent discourse, making coherent topical ties), and the integration of teacher and student agendas, examining what happens when students' display of…

Researchers at the Institute for Research on Teaching (IRT) at Michigan State University studied how teacher behavior influences what youngsters learn and how teaching can be improved. IRT found that how teachers teach is as important to student learning as what they teach. IRT found that many teachers believe they do a good job and don't see the…

This pamphlet presents a series of tips for teachers to use in establishing classroom discipline. The first 11 tips provide guidance for the teacher in the use of language to maintain discipline: (1) be specific and clear; (2) be simple, brief, and to the point; (3) state directions positively; (4) use hard-line phrases selectively; (5) offer…

A study represented an initial attempt to assess the functional equivalence of two techniques for compliance-gaining research in the classroom, the constructionist approach and the strategy checklist approach. First, a system for coding teachers' message constructions was developed. Then those messages were analyzed to assess the relative…

A procedure for implementing a 24-day intensive language course that involves eight thematic lesson plans uses a 3-day cycle of instruction based on the Lozanov method. The classroom is organized to be as free as possible from typical classroom associations, using chairs in a semi-circle without tables or desks. The first 3 days are structured to…

Seventeen art activities are suggested for use in the intermediate-level class of English as a second language to review specific grammar points, provide conversation practice, and improve writing skills. In these art activities, students create their own visual aids and use them for a variety of language activities, such as: creating a family…

Dominant sensory metaphors play a major role in speech, and this dominance further manifests itself in other behaviors involving particular sensory modes. Communicators use one of the five senses as dominant metaphor in their speech: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, oflactory, or gustatory. Interpersonal attending, which teaches the importance not…

Differences in teaching at primary and intermediate grade levels were investigated. Specific attention was given to differences in teacher behaviors, teacher communications, grouping, teacher control, and types of materials. Six primary classrooms and five intermediate classrooms were each observed for four 45-minute observation periods, yielding…

A teacher of an undergraduate literature course, inspired by the increasing use of collaborative writing in the workplace and by reader-response criticism, required a collaborative writing assignment in the course. A computer laboratory equipped as a local area network (LAN) was instrumental, enabling sustained, serious collaboration. Students…