Describes interactions among children in four preschool kindergarten art classes. Examines the nature of the talk surrounding children's mutual participation in voluntary art activities. Concludes that classroom social life demonstrated children's capacity to collaborate in meaningful ways and to benefit from the sharing of perspectives. (KM)

A study of ethnic variation supports the hypothesis that rules/norms governing second-language classroom interactional patterns are affected by the teacher's pedagogical orientation and turn allocation management, learner disposition/motivation toward participation, and interactional opportunities. It cautions against hasty linkages between…

Describes some linguistic and cultural characteristics of American Indians not fully assimilated into the majority culture. Discusses the extended family, discipline and attitudes toward children, importance of the group, communication, and temporal orientation. Notes implications for the classroom. Contains 46 references. (SV)

Examines (1) the correlations between teacher clarity and teacher verbal and nonverbal immediacy for ethnically diverse students; and (2) the correlations of clarity and verbal and nonverbal immediacy with four instructional outcomes for ethnically diverse students. Finds cultural differences in these relationships. Finds significant correlations…

Using sound field amplification which increased the intensity of the teacher's voice by 10 decibels, 9 primary-level children with developmental disabilities made fewer errors on a word identification task, were more relaxed, and responded more quickly than without amplification. (Author/JDD)

Four naturalistic methods for assessing college student learning styles are discussed: direct observation of student behavior, in-depth interviews with students, analysis of self-directed learning projects, and analysis of the guiding metaphors used by students in describing the teaching-learning process. Each suggests ways teachers can adapt to…

Discusses the description of English discourse for teaching purposes, drawing on new information from analysis of CANCODE (Cambridge/Nottingham Corpus of Discourse in English). Concludes that language teaching should be based on regularities and patterns, not rules, and that exposure to real, informal language of native speakers, with its…

Outlines techniques used by one Russian studies faculty member to enhance enrollment and retain students, including developing courses that satisfy interdepartmental requirements, advertising, catching student interest early, providing interest and relevance, initiating open class discussions, using direct study approaches, using guest lecturers…

Suggests that while various models of bilingual education have been implemented in Aboriginal communities in Australia's Northern Territory, the degree to which these programs operate successfully is quite another matter. One example from a particular program outlines the ongoing miscommunication that occurs between Aboriginal students and their…

Examines patterns of talk and the nature of talk in two different classrooms discussing Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Finds that the images of Hamlet and Gertrude were strikingly different: in the college class, the characters were confined to stereotypical gender roles; while in the high-school class, such stereotypes were refuted. (SR)

Synthesizes findings of four case studies that examine technology-rich environments and how they might promote democratic learning. Discusses experiences of each via a matrix of four domains of democratic learning environments (power and voice; beliefs about knowledge and learning; modes of thinking and expression; and perspective on instructional…

Argues that a carefully designed and skillfully moderated asynchronous Internet classroom environment can help minimize problems related to gender in traditional classrooms. Discusses class "climate" and class discussion in the traditional classroom and in the online classroom. Notes research related to gender and the online classroom. Outlines…

Presents a computer-mediated discourse on the Pythagorean equation in a university classroom of preservice and inservice teachers. Shows how the use of a spreadsheet as a two-dimensional modeling tool enables students to conjecture the general solution to the Pythagorean equation. Argues that a computational approach to the ancient problem…

Provides a detailed account of the significant components of Sister M. Gertrude Hennessey's instruction for conceptual change learning in an elementary science classroom. Discusses the implications of this case study for the practices of other teachers. Contains 40 references. (Author/WRM)

An ethnographic study of a freshman composition class at the Universidad Autonoma de Santa Domingo (Dominican Republic) examined classroom practices and behaviors of the professor and students as students learned to improve their native-language reading and writing skills. Differences from U.S. classrooms are discussed in terms of the needs of…