Discusses the relationship between teacher clarity and student achievement and presents 11 teacher clarity practices that correlate positively with student achievement. Among the suggestions are that teachers avoid disjointed speech, maintain adequate pacing of information flow, use multiple examples to illustrate points, and reduce the number of…

Provides normative data regarding the use of certain verbal behaviors manifested by college teachers. Indicates that usage of humor, self-disclosure, and narratives by college teachers was frequently relevant to course content and used to clarify course material. Suggests that award winning teachers used these same behaviors in relation to course…

Emphasizes consideration of both affective and cognitive criteria in ensuring educational excellence. Focuses on the necessity for teachers to be emotionally and physically available in their interactions with students. Discusses the role of reception, presence, separation and absence in affective availability, and specific implications of the…

Two teachers share practical tips for teaching secondary school mathematics. The tips focus on effective use of homework and teaching trigonometric concepts. (PK)

Discusses similarities and differences in the use of puppets and computers as teaching tools in the classroom. Teachers' resistance to puppets is discussed, and four new puppet programs are described. (LRW)

Found that teachers perceive that their students (1) have developed many behavioral conversational skills prior to contact with school and (2) reveal very little development in their emotional expression abilities. (PD)

Describes a study which investigated the effect of training in nonverbal and verbal cue identification on notetaking and listening comprehension by 100 Chinese graduate students. The paper also provides a model for future materials development, teaching methodology, testing, and research in this area. (Author/SED)

A small-group method of teaching mathematical models and methods in a Scottish technological institute uses team teaching and emphasizes the student's role in peer evaluation and group problem solving. (MSE)

This study, the fifth in a series focusing on the communication of power in the classroom and its role in student learning, investigated the relationship between teachers' use of behavior alteration techniques and student learning, and the impact of teachers' communication training and student quality on the use of these techniques. (PD)

Describes a pilot "work required" assessment procedure in a high school English class. Shows how the skills of classroom negotiation work when students plan and manage instruction. Discusses learning to negotiate, the advantages of the program, trials and errors, the change in classroom climate, and negotiating reading. (EL)

Research results of some difficulties of teaching English as a second language at the University of Compiegne (France) indicate that the target group was not well researched, their motivations and needs were not precisely analyzed, and the pedagogical approach used was nearly equivalent to that of the secondary school system. Includes response to…

Examines the impact of teacher immediacy (teacher behavior that communicates positive attitudes toward students and subject matter) on students' attitudes toward learning in different types of classes: people-oriented-courses (communication skills) vs. task-oriented-courses (accounting).

Explores specific classroom language used by students for whom English is a second language. (HOD)

Describes a study which investigated and described the linguistic input and conversational interaction found in English as a second language classrooms when small groups of students work together. The results are compared with classroom activities in which the students participate as a class in teacher-directed lessons. (SED)

Emphasizes that although computer technology opens the door to great possibilities for teaching language, it will only be as powerful as the programs developed to go with the machines. Since the language lab remains one of the principal tools in foreign language education, it is hoped that computer assisted instruction will reflect back onto tape…