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…

A study explored the relation between students' participation in class discussions and strategies used by instructors to overcome communication apprehension. The study to examined the impact of an interactional teaching style and specific structural exercises on students' perceptions of their classroom participation. Fifty-six undergraduate…

Forty different forms which can be used for written communication with upper elementary and secondary students are presented in a reproducible format. The forms were created to fill a need for providing students at these levels with motivational notes. Drawings and messages based on a variety of themes are used to make the notes interesting.…

This study describes a language intervention approach using telephones in a classroom to motivate and facilitate spontaneous oral language in a group of language-delayed kindergarten children. Specific purposes of the investigation were (1) to determine what effect the availability of telephones had on the spontaneous oral language of…