Examines high schools teachers' humor in the classroom. Finds that high school teachers generally use less humor than college teachers, perceive college-teacher humor as more appropriate, and use it as a learning facilitator rather than a learning strategy. Presents a 20-item classification scheme of teacher humor. (SR)

Forty-four undergraduate women at a small liberal arts college were asked to characterize conversations with college women friends and to describe the role these women play in intellectual growth and academic performance. Results show that women are more comfortable expressing their views within female friendship than in the classroom. (MKA)

Argues that second-language learners should be given the opportunity to listen to authentic discourse within the language classroom and practice forms of language that will facilitate successful exchanges beyond the classroom. Examines the main questions confronting the classroom teacher when integrating authentic spoken discourse into a language…

Responds to a previous article on native-language (L1) use in the collaborative interaction of native English-speaking adult learners of Spanish as a second language, which found that the L1 serves a critical function in students' attempts to mutually define task elements, provide each other with scaffolding help, and externalize inner speech.…

Finds that a high humor orientation (HO) was associated with increased undergraduate student perceptions of learning; and that high HO students reported learning more with a high HO teacher. Examines perceived teacher humor orientation in relation to nonverbal immediacy and socio-communicative style. (SR)

Uses a theoretical framework derived from Vygotsky's writings to review studies of science classroom discourse interactions between teachers and students. Suggests that shifting the research focus from isolated instructional activities to promote conceptual change toward viewing such activities in the critically influential context of an ongoing…

Finds that rates of student participation in online discourse and the nature of that participation related to the nature of in-class lecture and discussion, to the ways in which the instructor framed and managed the uses of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies, to the structure of the course, and to students' perceptions of the…

Discusses how English-as-Second/Foreign-Language teachers, equipped with a good syllabus and methodology, should be able to engineer aspects that create equal opportunities for both males and females in all areas of classroom interaction. Suggests that more research is needed on the origins of gender differences and its effect on second-language…

A model of bilingual classroom discourse is presented as a set of communicational frames illustrated by data from secondary English classes in Hong Kong. Discussion addresses the difficulty faced by teachers in second-language contexts to encourage communication and participation in a way that does not marginalize the second language. (Author/VWL)

Examines whether "everyday" and scientific concepts about math are dichotomous. Discusses culture and the role of language in math meaning making. Provides a transcript of math talk in an elementary classroom to illustrate how formal and informal learning can be connected. (SK)

This article summarizes literature that examines the use and effect of teacher praise on academic and behavioral outcomes of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Methods for monitoring and increasing teachers' use of effective praise are provided and include peer coaching, structured observation, training, and self-evaluation.…

Describe a situation between a teacher and a junior high school student in which the student was given detention for "talking back." Argues that this disciplinary episode was unnecessary had the teacher been better prepared to talk effectively to students and for work with diverse student populations. (SR)

Presents an overview of communication patterns between Swedish students during ordinary lessons. Reveals that they are filled with internal communication that is not random, even if it is out of the teacher's conscious control. Identifies contextual factors that contribute to the intensity of communication that teachers can turn to educational…

Notes that while informed teachers of writing have moved toward more dialogic approaches, they still have colonial tendencies when responding to student writing. Suggests an activity that invites students to talk back to the teacher-reader as a means of helping them move more effectively toward revision. (PA)

Indicates how new theorizing on the body can be brought to bear on pedagogical work. Argues that a teacher's body needs to be remembered in writing about teaching and learning because it produces desire in pedagogical events. Shows ways that work on corporeality counters mainstream writing about students and teachers. (DSK)