Research suggests that oral language development is directly related to literacy, and is crucial for success in learning to be literate. This topical bibliography and commentary discusses language acquisition theories, components of language, phonology in literacy, and a first-grade classroom study that explored "literate talk" in the classroom…

This digest discusses various types of communication disorders, their incidence, the learning difficulties associated with them, the special case of English language learners, and the educational significance of communication disorders. Communication disorders may result from many different conditions such as oral-motor difficulties or…

Observation of human behavior increasingly suggests there is a chasm between "what you do" (leadership, skill, behavior) and "what you know" (intellect, cognition, aptitude). To examine the gap between what is done and what is known regarding the teaching of children, a project first reviewed the literature on school-life…

Educators have become so involved with delivering the curricula that they fail to acknowledge "how" they deliver the curricula. This paper considers the different forms of verbal and nonverbal communications in the classroom, cultural communications in the classroom, and communication enhancers for the classroom--issues which are major…

As a learning theory, constructivism describes knowledge as being in flux--where an individual internally constructs knowledge through social and cultural mediation. Constructivist learning theorists contend that social activity and discourse must play important roles in order for understanding to occur. This paper describes how the social…

This report details an exploratory study that employs qualitative methods to characterize the academic language used by teachers and students in 4th and 5th grade mainstream science classrooms. Teacher oral language, and to some degree student talk, was observed during content instruction. This type of data allows for a broad descriptive…

Article explained the use of TESL, a program with a primary aim of teaching children how to utilize situationally-appropriate English. (Author/RK)

A conceptual model and unit of analysis were constructed to guide the systematic observation of the consequences of four modes of teacher verbal activity on the verbal performance of students. (Author)

This paper discusses schools as a precipitating factor in the lowering of academic potential and self-esteem in female students. Several aspects of the schools are considered, including curriculum, staffing patterns, and nonverbal cues. (RP)

Describes the four areas in which the problems a child meets in understanding his classmates or the teacher can be considered to arise: the difficulty caused by a word, a structure, the amount of information the child is asked to retain and/or the context in which the information is presented. (Author/JM)

Reports a study to analyze relationships between noverbal skills acquired by preservice science teachers in a methods course and their application during student teaching. Microteaching format was used in the experimental group to develop nonverbal cues and silence. Analysis indicated experimental preservice science teachers differed significantly…

Focuses on the importance of conversation between adult and child as the young child engages in artistic activities. Different kinds of conversations appropriate for art education are suggested on the assumption that such talk facilitates cognitive development and results in increased artistic motivation. (DP)

Studied the effects of eighth grade students' cognitive, motivational, personality, and classroom interaction characteristics on their academic achievement, attitudes toward science, and socio-metric measures. Concluded that a specified combination of student traits and teacher attention could lead to different unintential consequences in science…

The interaction style of a pupil depends on his personality, motivational and cognitive traits, his location in the classroom and the similarity of his personality to that of the teacher.'' Combinations of personal traits and teacher attention can determine pupils' academic and social success. (Author/AL)

Discusses the organization of communication in the class in order to facilitate student interaction and the part played by classroom seating arrangements. (Author/RK)