Examines which power bases and Behavior Alteration Techniques (BAT) have positive, negative, and no association with student motivation toward studying course content. Finds that perceived use of power bases and BATs are associated with reports of cognitive and affective learning. (MG)

Looks at the impact of the classroom environment on student emotions and behavior, offering suggestions for using the physical features of the environment to calm or stimulate students. Shows how the factors of environmental arousal, classroom robustness, and spatial settings may be used to create art classrooms that minimize chances for…

Teachers of French are urged to view the introductory language class from the perspective of the students, and to be aware that without concern for the group of learners, methodology is a moot question. (MSE)

Effective interaction is as important in inservice education programs for language teachers as it is in the foreign language classroom. Techniques are described for improving the quality of interaction in teacher workshops through simulation exercises. (MSE)

Reports on two studies that examine effects of trait communication apprehension on students' production and perceptions of written feedback. Finds, in the first study, trait anxiety was related to negative external attributions; while the second study showed that anxiety was associated with more internal interpretations. (MS)

Describes materials and a specific teaching approach aimed at improving an aspect of children's communication known as referential communication. Argues that this ability and the complementary listening skills are basic to successful classroom discourse and that they are important abilities in most communication. (KO)

Reports on a study which inductively derived a typology of students' compliance-resistance strategies that are frequently used in the college classroom. Probes the impact of teacher immediacy and strategy type on student message generation, and whether likelihood of resistance was related to the number of messages generated. (MM)

Maintains that community colleges have a unique mission requiring student-centered teachers who are both content experts and effective classroom communicators. Advocates broadening the scope of communication education to include research and programs to prepare more effective community college faculty. (SR)

Asserts that observation is the key to discovering what non-native students already know about English and what their inclinations and abilities are when they enter the classroom. Documents a first-grade teacher's experiences with second-language learners in her classroom. (MM)

This review of research examines the contributions of American and European researchers to understanding how classrooms work and what "frame" or format factors exert their influence and supply the foundation that underlies academic achievement. (IAH)

Ensuring healthy and happy classrooms requires being committed to students and acting in ways worthy of their respect; helping children improve their self-esteem; employing consistency, structure, and routine where appropriate; being clear and honest about expectations; offering students choices; allowing opportunities for all types of questions;…

Describes a literature-based reading program with an instructional component that enables teachers to provide the necessary support in reading, writing, and response as urban, low achieving students engage in conversation about books. Describes in detail the discussion of one "book club" group of students during a unit in a fifth-grade…

Applies a Vygotskyan perspective to explain the speech activity of 16 third-year high school learners of Spanish, focusing on their talk about task, talk about talk, and use of English during a problem-solving speaking task. Findings suggest that not all speech activity between second-language learners during classroom communicative tasks is…

Problems faced by deaf students developing social skills are discussed, and suggestions are provided for what teachers can do to specifically cultivate these skills. Teacher modeling, cooperative learning, and the integration of social skills lessons into other class lessons and activities are recommended, with sample activities and references to…

This study examined the listener preparatory behaviors (LPBs) of selecting a listener, establishing listener proximity, and obtaining listener attention, as exhibited by 16 preschoolers with moderate to severe disabilities attending three different self-contained programs. It revealed that opportunities for children to display all three LPBs in…