This study focused on language and literacy learning in a group of Cambodian families in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) linked locally by an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) class, and more broadly by common histories, culture, and language. Over a period of 3 years, the researcher looked at: broad patterns of language and literacy use in this…

A study examined the interactions between special education and mainstream early childhood teachers and children with and without disabilities in integrated (mainstreamed) preschool settings. It was hypothesized that in an integrated setting, special education teachers would be more likely to interact with handicapped children while mainstream…

A project to identify alternative strategies for assessing the academic language of English language learners is reported. First, literature on the concept of academic language is reviewed, and then findings from classroom research are used to propose an alternative conceptualization of academic language, one which focuses on the role of stylistic…

Nine papers present either discussion of the issues or practical answers to the issues of nonstandard dialects, pidgins, and creoles in the classroom. They include: "The Case Against a Transfer Bilingual Program of Torres Strait Creole to English in Torres Strait Schools" (Anna Shnukal); "Summary: A Survey of Teachers' Attitudes…

A college teacher of both freshman English and English as a Second Language (ESL) recounts the addition of computer networking to her ESL classroom and its effects on student attitudes and performance. When computerized instruction and networking capabilities, already used in freshman composition, were added to the ESL class, a variety of expected…

Experiences with the whole language approach to English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) instruction in a Lebanese kindergarten are described. Children's literature was selected for use in instruction, in part because few appropriate commercially prepared materials were available and in part because it presents appropriate language in an entertaining,…

A reform-oriented teacher education model and its effect on the eventual classroom practice of preservice program graduates is examined. An ethnographic description is provided of the program, which emphasized an experiential philosophical base that permeated both the program and the compulsory educational milieu of the training site. Research…

Issues concerning the language of instruction used in teaching English to native speakers of Chinese, particularly adolescents, are discussed. The discussion draws on research in two areas: the role of language medium in the acquisition of concepts, and psycholinguistic differences between Chinese and English. It is concluded that while the…

A study used the Preschool Teacher Verbal Behavior Index (PTVBI) to measure the extent to which classrooms were learner-directed or teacher-directed. The instrument can be used to help teachers learn the appropriate degree of control for different classroom situations and individual learner needs. Verbatim teachers statements are categorized as…

The report resulting from a colloquium of scholars on teacher development and promising educational practice for ethnolinguistically diverse populations is summarized. The group met to discuss the urgent need for teacher preparation to meet the needs of increasingly multilingual school populations. Two major conclusions were reached: that…

A survey investigated the attitudes of one community college's English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers concerning the use of native language in the classroom, particularly by the teacher. Twenty-one ESL teachers, both part- and full-time, responded. Most were Hispanic, many were bilingual, and they represented a range of experience and…

This study examined how perceived teacher support of classroom questioning relates to other dimensions of teacher effectiveness, and how dimensions of teacher effectiveness are related to antecedents of classroom questioning. The study evaluated end-of-term ratings by college students (n=806) from 39 classes that suggested the following: (1)…

This learning activity package is designed to help the learner understand classes in apprenticeship-related instruction. Three units address what happens in apprenticeship classrooms, what should not be done in apprenticeship classrooms, and how to do one's best in an apprenticeship classroom. Each unit discusses problems that many students have…

Project META (Metacognitive Enhancing Teaching Activities) is a 3-year naturalistic case study designed to explicitly enhance the metacognitive capabilities of learners in order to illuminate the nature of metacognitive interactions among elementary students and to describe the impact this type of enhancement has on the formation of students'…

This study sought to determine the relations between generative teaching and student teachers' social maturity, receptivity to criticism, and ability to incorporate suggestions about their performance into their teaching. Profiles of "more effective" and "less effective" student teachers were compared with respect to generative…