This study examined whether culture mediated teachers' reported classroom behaviors. Teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire with items that depicted a traditional classroom behavior or activity performed under specific cultural orientations. Reports of culture-based classroom behaviors were ascertained as a function of teacher cultural…

This study utilised the "What Is Happening In this Class" (WIHIC) questionnaire to examine factors that influence Californian students' perceptions of their learning environment. Data were collected from 665 USA middle school science students in 11 Californian schools. Several background variables, such as gender, socioeconomic status,…

In 1993, William E. Doll, Jr., a professor at Louisiana State University, created a post-modern curriculum matrix. Instead of the old three Rs, reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic, the curriculum framework Doll envisioned is compromised of the four Rs: richness, recursion, relation, and rigor. The different categories of the four Rs are not mutually…

Maughn Rollins Gregory writes eloquently and passionately about the critical role his openness, self-exposure, and vulnerability play in creating classroom spaces for genuine discourse and growth. Asked to write a response to Gregory's compelling essay, the author asks herself a similar question: What role will her openness, self-exposure, and…

Education research on sexual identity issues has increasingly engaged with poststructuralist and queer theories of identity. The focus has shifted toward conceptualising sexual identities as "acts" rather than facts, and problematising all sexual identities rather than liberating oppressed ones. However, in the growing literature on the…

This paper focuses on two components of a model for online teaching and learning--"teaching presence" and "community". It is suggested that previous research points to the critical role that community plays in academic success and persistence in higher education. Through a review of recent literature it is proposed that teaching presence--viewed…

Recent books and articles are full of definitions of the ideal electronic classroom, prescriptions of how to use web resources, and descriptions of the effects of such resources on teaching practices and learning. Yet Becker (1999) found that only 30% of those teachers who were internet-connected acknowledged using web resources with their…

This paper is a reconsideration of the nature of teaching and learning in the language teacher education course room. Drawing broadly on sociocultural perspectives of Lave and Wenger and Vygotskian models of cognitive apprenticeship, it considers how to design the course room as a learning environment. It begins with a critique of…

As school curricula undergo changes in both content and pedagogy, pressure is placed on teacher preparation programs and undergraduate mathematics departments to model learning environments in mathematics appropriate for education students. Yet the reality of many post-secondary mathematics courses includes traditional style classes containing a…

Ability grouping is a common approach to dealing with student variance in learning. In general, findings suggest that such an approach to dealing with student differences is disadvantageous to students who struggle in school and advantageous to advanced learners. The concept of differentiation suggests that there is another alternative to…

This study used a systems perspective to determine whether differences exist between classrooms of expert (n=35) and novice (n=35) teachers on the cohesion, communication, and flexibility dimensions of the Classroom Systems Observation Scale (CSOS). A 50-minute observation using the CSOS was conducted in elementary school classrooms in New York…

Whatever their intensity, all cultural differences must be dealt with in a professional communication classroom to create a cross-culturally competent system of individuals working toward a common goal. In this article, the author examined the way in which professional communication is being learned along the U.S.-Mexico border. The population…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the identified function of student problem behavior and different types of teacher behavior. Students with emotional/behavioral disorders and their teacher in one classroom were observed during reading instruction. Results showed consistent patterns of teacher attention across the…

In this article, we have studied the effect of student social background, classroom social context, classroom organisation, and teacher behaviours on mathematics achievement and attainment in English and Welsh primary schools. Data were collected over 2 years as part of a programme evaluation, for which we observed 138 teachers and tested and…

When composition instructors discuss teaching diversity, the concept of tolerance often takes over the conversation. Tolerance constructs an ideal "comfort zone" where every student's voice can be heard and respected. While tolerance is perceived as an admirable goal, Marinara has concluded that the ideal of the comfortable classroom space from…