The purpose of this study was to investigate how very young children can influence their daily life in preschool, in relation to teacher control. The specific questions studied were: What opportunities do the children have to make their own choices and take the initiative? How does teacher control manifest itself? What form do permanent…

A study analyzed the choreography of turn-taking and cohesion in classroom computer-mediated communication (CMC) to assess its efficacy as a linguistic intervention. Of the kinds of discussions made possible by CMC, it is the pseudonymous, synchronous conversation that most attracts those who would aspire to the project of changing linguistic…

Both educational and organizational researchers have been studying the socialization construct since the late 1970s. Research can be extended to examine the role of the course syllabi as a strategy or tool for classroom socialization. One theory which has been applied to classroom socialization is the uncertainty reduction theory; a possible…

Anne Haas Dyson's concept of the "child collective" and Colette Daiute's concept of "youth genres" can be useful observational frameworks for better understanding classroom dynamics. In studying classrooms where children are given opportunities to collaborate, Dyson's "child collective" identifies those behaviors that…

A study explored how students challenged teachers in order to seek information, how often they employ certain strategies, and at what point in the semester they used certain strategies. Subjects were students in four classes with a maximum enrollment of 25 each from two southwestern universities. Half of the participants were enrolled in a hybrid…

The ideas in this mini-brochure are intended for teachers interested in creating opportunities for students to pose questions during literature-based discussions. The brochure suggests that a child-centered approach to questioning is a highly motivating way to conduct discussions because students of all reading abilities can participate. The…

For many students, school is not a place to explore new ideas or develop fresh perspectives. School is a place where there are "positions" that they must "defend" in the "arena" of the classroom. If they do muster up the courage to participate, they have learned what it is like to lose: they describe it as being…

A study investigated the association between affinity-seeking strategies and teacher liking. Data were collected from 251 undergraduate students at the middle of the semester and 178 undergraduate students at the end of the semester on the behavior of an equal number of instructors. Respondents were asked to assess their chosen instructor's…

Four teachers at Fort Lewis College, Colorado, use humor to send messages which "leap frog" resistance to the new and different, and go directly to the preconscious. The power in these humorous conceptual leaps is that the entering information sticks to the anger and passions of the human psyche, thus fostering retention. Linda Mack, a…

Educators commonly consider praise an example of positive reinforcement. They are correct, but they may also be incorrect because the effect upon students of educators administering praise is influenced by the students themselves. Two situations, at least, exist where praise may not bring about its intended effect. Praise may be inappropriate when…

All language teachers, even those committed to teaching language in context, must occasionally provide examples of grammatical or syntactic structures. When searching for effective examples, teachers can evaluate them by asking the following questions: (1) Considering the context and content, is the use of the target structure appropriate?; (2)…

Describes a technique used to become acquainted with students enrolled in a physical science class: having an informal, brown-bag lunch in the professor's office with students attending in groups of two or three. (PEB)

In teaching adults, it is important to break the automatism of traditional school procedures, and to create a climate of communication. The teacher should be primarily an "animator" who stimulates the group to take initiative in organizing and planning the course (their "apprenticeship"). (Text is in French.) (IFS/WGA)

Through a variety of methods teachers in a British teachers' college became aware of their own behavioral traits and how some could be controlled, others accentuated. Some of the exercises they used are discussed in this article. (Author/RK)

A discussion of the relationships between communication in a foreign language and metalinguistic thought given to that language focuses on formal French language learning by adults in their home countries. Experience with adult language learners suggests a resistance to grammatical explanations but an openness to explanations of meaning. It would…