This paper explores the symbolic representation of the teaching situation as a triangle involving teacher, student, and content. The paper explores what is meant by didactic communication, and then studies the meaning of the semiotic triangle in the light of two lines of research: the patterns used to analyze communication situations and ongoing…

The empowerment paradigm with roots in the literature of education and management (both applied and theoretical) can guide faculty to help prepare students to make the transition from the classroom to the boardroom. While numerous faculty leaders have joined corporate leaders in espousing the virtues of empowerment, most classes in business…

Although "flaming" (language and behavior considered outrageous in a classroom context) is a rupture of teacher authority, it can be used in the classroom as a viable pedagogical tool. A student in a basic literature course read a long and sexually explicit narrative in rhymed couplets. The rupture in the normal classroom environment…

This document consists of short reviews of 13 Ohio schools. The goal is to illustrate each school's atmosphere and members through a report made by an education expert who actually visited the school, as opposed to a statistical report. Interviews of students and teachers are included, as are impressions of reform methods being used in the school,…

Three specific classroom techniques for teaching vocational English as a Second Language to adults are discussed. They are three items on the SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) list of "easy things" to do to integrate workplace basics into the classroom, designed to encourage a student-focused classroom. They…

This study examined the effect of classroom climate on the mathematics achievement of fourth-grade students in Tennessee public schools. The investigation used data obtained from 875 fourth-grade students enrolled in 42 classes in 13 public schools. In the first phase of the inquiry, four class-climate factors were identified by exploratory factor…

A study investigated student involvement in large-group discussion. A high school sophomore American literature class and a world literature class for juniors and seniors were each observed for a semester. Students were asked to provide their definitions of knowledge and learning in a survey. From the 36 responses received, four perspectives…

An ethnographic study of a linguistics classroom produced insights into student perceptions of in-class speech that can contribute to the ongoing debate about the place of student participation in academic classrooms. The study was conducted in an elective undergraduate linguistics course at Michigan Technological University. Fifteen classroom…

Emphasizing the complex relationships among story, ethnicity, and gender, this book explores the nature of story--the basic functions it serves, its connections to the diverse sociocultural landscape of society, and its power in the classroom. In addressing concerns about how to most effectively serve increasingly diverse student populations, the…

A companion to "The Reading Environment," this book is concerned with getting groups of children to talk openly and confidently about their readings of particular books. Using a generous selection of transcripts of classroom discussions, the book shows how children can be encouraged to share their enthusiasms and difficulties and the…

This presentation focuses on the qualities of effective teaching. It offers thoughts on the teacher/learner relationship, focusing on the challenge of teaching and the importance of caring about students and connecting with them. Professors' attention to their research over their teaching and the impact of their rigorous workloads is felt to cause…

For completely unexpected reasons, a first-year teaching assistant's writing-across-the-curriculum composition course linked with the Indian Studies department at the University of North Dakota turned out to be a profound teaching/learning experience for him and his students. An important dynamic in the class was its unprecedented cultural…

The process of teaching reading to 12 second- and third-grade learning-disabled children was investigated in mainstream classrooms and resource rooms. The study focused on how the process of achieving intersubjectivity in a routine task like reading takes place and how the construction of intersubjectivity (referred to as scaffolding) can vary as…

A study examined the effectiveness of teaching students the vocabulary of mathematics. Subjects in the experimental group, 14 students in a remedial math section of a secondary school basic skills program, were taught the vocabulary and definitions of 50 mathematical terms as identified on the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test, Mathematics.…

The practicum addressed the problem of student teachers' inadequacy in managing out-of-control children in the elementary classroom. The objectives were to conduct: (1) an in-service program on six factors that contribute to out-of-control behavior; and (2) an in-service program on the techniques for managing the out-of-control child. Techniques…