Examines the discourse in an English as a second or other language (ESoL) classroom in a best-case scenario that contrasted dramatically with more typical school settings. Samples student critical turns (SCTs) across a six-week literature-rich science unit. Shows that the teacher played a crucial role in extended dialogue among students. (SG)

Examines the occurrence and use of recasts in adult native-speaker/nonnative-speaker interactions in a classroom setting. Focuses on native speaker recasts in three types of negotiations: one-signal negotiated interactions, extended negotiated interactions, and non-negotiated interactions, and on recasts in response to nonnative speaker levels of…

A study investigated the importance assigned by 100 adolescents to 14 communication skills under conditions of talking to peers and to teachers. Adolescents perceived that skills associated with empathy and considered to be addressee-focused were important for peer communication and skills related to discourse management strategies were important…

Describes the role of meta talk (explicit talk about grammar) in the classroom practice of two English-as-a-Second-Language teachers. Classroom observations and teacher interviews provided descriptive data about the initiation, development, and outcomes of meta talk in the teachers' work, and insight into the rationale behind their approaches to…

Discusses an approach to the study of interlanguage that challenges prevailing models of second language acquisition that assume negotiation of meaning is the only causal variable. Examines two notions of language play: ludic language play and rehearsal in private speech. Analysis of classroom interactions among children in a Spanish immersion…

Effective communication is the basis of developing an environment of mutual respect between students and teachers. The more congruent the communication is between students and teachers, the more likely students are to become willing participants in the learning process, and the more likely it is that the teacher can maintain a comfortable…

This study focuses on observations of classroom conversation as an approach to assessment of relationships between a teacher's teaching and pupils' learning and identity-development processes. Detailed observation notes from two conventional conversation situations from a first grade classroom are written down as narratives and analysed within a…

The study examines the dilemmas communicated by White students as they addressed issues of whiteness raised in an undergraduate interracial communication course. Data included semester-long in-class observation, three focus groups of White students from the class, and student documents. Communication patterns associated with dealing with White…

Models and modelling are key tools for scientists, science teachers and science learners. In this paper we argue that classroom-based research evidence demonstrates that the use of models and analogies within the pedagogy of science education may provide a route for students to gain some understanding of the nature of science. A common theme to…

The study investigated achievement status as a factor determining the use of language-based activities for learning science. A total of 154 eighth-grade students were randomly assigned to four groups, all stratified for gender and achievement level. The treatments involved various combinations of talk and writing, and descriptive and explanatory…

In this paper we propose the construct of discursive identity as a way to examine student discourse. We drew from the work of Gee (2001, Review of Research in Education, 25, 99-125) and Nasir and Saxe (2003, Educational Researcher, 32(5), 14-18) to consider the multiple contexts and developmental timescales of student discursive identity…

Studying critical literacies includes examining how research practices influence what is learned about classroom activity and the world. This article highlights the processes and practices used in studying 1 classroom conversation. The data, drawn from an elementary school classroom of a Critical Literacy in Action teacher-researcher group member,…

This paper examines what is important about talk between learners during school science and, having identified this, suggests how we can ensure that what we consider important happens. By looking at the interaction between teachers and learners talking about science, it is possible to indicate ways in which learners can be helped to continue this…

When young teachers stand in front of their classes for the first time, they are expected to be well prepared for the challenging task before them. Unfortunately, preparations for this moment rarely include lessons on the essential skill of "teacher talk"--the choice and use of words in a class. This skill is often overlooked in teacher…

Recent learning theories and the suggested importance of 'interactive' approaches in national initiatives, (NLS, NNS) led to an ESRC-funded action research project involving the University of Exeter and teachers in three schools--'Using Talk to Activate Learners' Knowledge' (TALK). This investigated how 'interactive' whole class teaching was and…