In 24 third and sixth grade classrooms, 78 percent of instructional time involved quiet work or teacher talking, whereas 1 percent involved brainstorming, discussion, oral problem solving, and role playing combined. Talk structures were affected by subject and teacher sex but not by grade or teacher experience. Contains 71 references. (Author/SV)

Uses data from an ethnographic study of Mexicanos and Anglos in south Texas society and schools to formulate a performance perspective of cultural reproduction and resistance. Examines ethnic and class differences in classroom "making-out" games and the role of pop-culture practices among youth in reproducing class and gender inequities.…

Examines the relationship among perceptions of elementary and secondary teachers' selected communication behaviors and supervisors' evaluations of the teachers' effectiveness. Finds that teachers' willingness to communicate, nonverbal immediacy, and communication competence are predictive of supervisors' evaluation of students' learning and…

Investigates the congruence between student and teacher perceptions of teacher immediacy and classroom learning outcomes. Finds a high level of agreement in reports of immediacy and learning among students in intact classes. Suggests that teachers are able to monitor both the process and product components of the instructional process-product…

Offers six axioms of instruction to foster rich collaborative discussion. Illustrates their use in four middle school science classrooms, showing how teachers and students read, searched text, and engaged in productive classroom talk about solving real health problems. (SR)

Reviews selected studies on cultural variation of classroom discourse. Recommends principles for using authentic talk and literacy instruction in culturally diverse schools. (SR)

Uses ancient Egyptian numeration system in a new setting to extend the concepts of base, place value, and correspondence. Discusses similarities and differences between the Egyptian and decimal systems. Students are asked to propose changes to make the Egyptian system easier. (LDR)

Presents an approach to analyzing classroom talk that sheds light on the intellectual work of the classroom. Analyzes the teaching-learning interaction in a ninth-grade English classroom where a writing lesson was being undertaken. (HB)

Discusses integration of Lev Vygotsky's theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) with the instructional strategy of cooperative learning. ZPD provides a conceptual basis for explaining the five basic tenets of cooperative learning: positive interdependence; face-to-face interaction; individual accountability; small-group and interpersonal…

Investigates how teacher talk and social interaction influence children's discussions, by comparing the talk occurring within literature circles in fourth-grade classrooms where teachers were and were not present. Discusses the four roles teachers took (facilitators, participants, mediators, and active listeners). Notes strategies students used to…

Descriptive studies in four elementary school French immersion classrooms investigated the negotiation of form in classroom discourse. Four interactional moves that encourage peer- and self-repair and draw attention to non-target output were examined. Found that recasts, the most common form of corrective feedback, can not lead to peer- or…

Discusses the importance of the first few days of a new college course, and offers teachers suggestions for getting off to a good start, including pre-class preparation, establishing and meeting expectations, establishing student-professor and student-student communication mechanisms, and motivating interest in the course material. (MSE)

A religion professor reflects on her approach and experiences in teaching an upper-level course on religion and sexual diversity, looking at conditions in the classroom that create the tolerance needed for discussion, the nature of subsequent classroom discussions of the relationship between body and spirit and about celibacy, and student…

Argues that the dual functions--visibility and invisibility--of talk in mathematics classrooms create dilemmas for teachers. Provides an analytic narrative vignette drawn from a secondary mathematics classroom in South Africa to illustrate the dilemma of transparency that mathematics teachers can face, particularly if they are teaching…

Reports on the productivity of different modes of classroom talk: whole class, pair work, and individual. Pair work was shown to provide the most optimum conditions for participant effort and productivity of ideas; however, each type of talk offers distinct benefits to teachers and students. Contains 25 references. (Author/WRM)