A writing exercise used in one college-level introductory Spanish literature course has been found helpful in converting student frustration into a challenge and changing perceptions of the teacher from adversary to ally. When the first reading assignment is due, the teacher tells the students how frustrating the class can be and lets them begin…

A study of whole language teaching in urban heterogeneous classrooms was undertaken to identify teacher student classroom discourse patterns. Using the Gutierrez Index of Coding Schema researchers identified three discourse scripts in the 14 bilingual and multicultural classrooms in Southern California under investigation. These were: the…

Describing the physical, social, psychological, and human context of middle and secondary schools, this book is designed to help new teachers negotiate the environment of the schools in which they find themselves. The book is intended for first-year or second-year teachers, education majors in their final year of preparation, "second…

This document contains the proceedings of the annual meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group. Papers include: (1) "What Does It Really Mean To Teach Mathematics through Inquiry?" (Raffaella Borasi); (2) "The High School Math Curriculum" (Peter Taylor); (3) "Triple Embodiment: Studies of Mathematical…

Two studies investigated what instructional issues may be involved when second-language television recordings with first-language subtitles are used in the second-language classroom. The experiments were conducted in an English-as-a-Second-Language class in advanced listening for native Chinese-speakers. In the first experiment, conducted at…

A study investigated the effects of Interactive Television (ITV--a two-way television system of instruction which is a near replication of face-to-face classroom instruction) on learning. Sixty-seven rural, midwestern high school students who were taking classes via ITV were asked to complete a network analysis survey to identify the frequency of…

This study examined how modes of organizing conversation determine the type of knowledge conveyed to preschool and kindergarten children. Approximately 150 audiotaped conversations from 23 classes of students of different age levels from 2 to 6 years were analyzed. Children's spontaneous speaking turns or answers to teachers' questions were…

In Judith Richards' ethnically diverse third and fourth grade classroom, the morning meeting is a time for discussion. The functions these discussions serve range from sharing personal news to talking about problem-solving strategies. During these meetings, the teacher has a polyphonic role. She participates, moderates, and sometimes writes…

This paper describes how the principles of bilingual education were incorporated by an adult education teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL) into ESL instruction. This approach is seen as useful only when all the students have the same native language. The method is supported by evidence from the literature of minority student education…

Instructional conversation (IC) is a dialogue between teacher and learner in which prior knowledge and experiences are woven together with new material to build higher understanding. IC contrasts with the highly routinized and teacher-dominated "recitation script" of traditional Western schooling. IC varies in form in different cultures,…

This paper argues that classroom discussions are important sites of investigation, not for the purpose of identifying and prescribing effective discussion strategies, but for understanding why particular discursive strategies tend to dominate classroom talk and what might be done to alter such practices. The paper is grounded in feminist…

This paper describes the kinds of talk that children in three different preschools typically experience during storybook read-alouds and other interactions with print. The paper situates these experiences within everyday classroom life and describes the ways these contrasting experiences may be related to the development of literacy and literary…

The issue of whether English second language (ESL) instruction and mathematics instruction can be effectively integrated with each other in the elementary grades is discussed, and it is suggested that contrary to popular belief, mathematics has great potential for second language development. It is noted that the input hypothesis of language…

The guide describes classroom second language teaching techniques, based on materials developed for use in Peace Corps language training. They are primarily designed for listening and oral language skill development, but could be adapted for written language skill practice. The techniques are divided into two types: those for improving students'…

A study examined the classroom communication behaviors adult learners and traditional undergraduate students associate with highly effective and highly ineffective instructors. Subjects, 155 traditional undergraduate students (68 males and 87 females) and 95 adult learners (23 males and 71 males) at a large midwestern university, rated the…