A technique found useful in a college literature appreciation class is to have students write their reactions to or questions about the day's class, anonymously, on note cards, for the teacher's perusal. The exercise provides information about what is or is not being learned and allows tracking of student development. (MSE)

Observation in 281 elementary and junior secondary classrooms and interview with teachers found large variation in communication behaviors of Botswana teachers, related to subject matter, presence of a textbook, and school size. Much class time was spent on choral recitation, which was positively related to expatriate staff and pupil persistence.…

Examines the arguments for a realignment of discourse roles (teacher/questioner and student/responder) in teaching, describes materials designed to bring about that shift, and discusses the effects of their use with English-as-a-Foreign-Language students. (17 references) (GLR)

Examines high schools teachers' humor in the classroom. Finds that high school teachers generally use less humor than college teachers, perceive college-teacher humor as more appropriate, and use it as a learning facilitator rather than a learning strategy. Presents a 20-item classification scheme of teacher humor. (SR)

Forty-four undergraduate women at a small liberal arts college were asked to characterize conversations with college women friends and to describe the role these women play in intellectual growth and academic performance. Results show that women are more comfortable expressing their views within female friendship than in the classroom. (MKA)

Argues that second-language learners should be given the opportunity to listen to authentic discourse within the language classroom and practice forms of language that will facilitate successful exchanges beyond the classroom. Examines the main questions confronting the classroom teacher when integrating authentic spoken discourse into a language…

Responds to a previous article on native-language (L1) use in the collaborative interaction of native English-speaking adult learners of Spanish as a second language, which found that the L1 serves a critical function in students' attempts to mutually define task elements, provide each other with scaffolding help, and externalize inner speech.…

Finds that a high humor orientation (HO) was associated with increased undergraduate student perceptions of learning; and that high HO students reported learning more with a high HO teacher. Examines perceived teacher humor orientation in relation to nonverbal immediacy and socio-communicative style. (SR)

Uses a theoretical framework derived from Vygotsky's writings to review studies of science classroom discourse interactions between teachers and students. Suggests that shifting the research focus from isolated instructional activities to promote conceptual change toward viewing such activities in the critically influential context of an ongoing…

Finds that rates of student participation in online discourse and the nature of that participation related to the nature of in-class lecture and discussion, to the ways in which the instructor framed and managed the uses of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies, to the structure of the course, and to students' perceptions of the…

Discusses how English-as-Second/Foreign-Language teachers, equipped with a good syllabus and methodology, should be able to engineer aspects that create equal opportunities for both males and females in all areas of classroom interaction. Suggests that more research is needed on the origins of gender differences and its effect on second-language…

A model of bilingual classroom discourse is presented as a set of communicational frames illustrated by data from secondary English classes in Hong Kong. Discussion addresses the difficulty faced by teachers in second-language contexts to encourage communication and participation in a way that does not marginalize the second language. (Author/VWL)

Examines whether "everyday" and scientific concepts about math are dichotomous. Discusses culture and the role of language in math meaning making. Provides a transcript of math talk in an elementary classroom to illustrate how formal and informal learning can be connected. (SK)

This article summarizes literature that examines the use and effect of teacher praise on academic and behavioral outcomes of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Methods for monitoring and increasing teachers' use of effective praise are provided and include peer coaching, structured observation, training, and self-evaluation.…

Describe a situation between a teacher and a junior high school student in which the student was given detention for "talking back." Argues that this disciplinary episode was unnecessary had the teacher been better prepared to talk effectively to students and for work with diverse student populations. (SR)