The authors conducted ethnographic research to provide deep understanding of the learning environment of a selection of computer science classrooms at a large, research university in the United States. Categories emerging from data analysis included (1) impersonal environment and guarded behavior; and (2) the creation and maintenance of informal…

Bakhtin's (1981) concept of chronotope provides a way of viewing student participation in the classroom as a dynamic process constituted through the interaction of past experience, ongoing involvement, and yet-to-be-accomplished goals. Although the actual design and use of classroom space may be important in facilitating a participatory pedagogy,…

Based on qualitative data (class observations, interviews, a letter from the researcher to the teacher about her classroom practice, videotapes, and documents), this paper reconsiders the staying-in-English rule, a popular classroom rule that requires learners to stay in English. It presents an ESL classroom example in which circumstances and…

The three-part Initiation, Response, Follow-up (IRF) cycle, or Triadic Dialogue, has been shown to be a common pattern in classroom discourse, and is widely used in EFL classrooms. The value of Triadic Dialogue has been debated in general education, where it has attracted criticism for being over-formulaic and restrictive, although recent research…

Effective classroom discussion is improvisational, because its effectiveness derives from the fact that it is not scripted. Instead, the flow of the class is unpredictable, and emerges from the actions of both teachers and students. In this article, I apply principles from training classes for improvisational actors to provide practical…

Research on ethnic Chinese students studying in a Western (New Zealand) learning environment exposed differences in communication and learning between their first culture and the host culture. Thirteen ethnic Chinese students in a New Zealand university business school participated in an 18-month ethnographic study. The findings indicate that…

The paper considers the consequences for research in classrooms of regarding "lessons" of all sorts as elaborate sequences of discourse, or "text", as part of a move towards a greater emphasis in research, teacher education and policy on education as cultural ("vis a vis" social or linguistic) practice. A quadruple…

Many studies have demonstrated that student motivation is an important factor in student learning. The recently proposed General Model of Instructional Communication, however, does not include motivation. Based on the assumption that student motivation may be an important factor in student learning, particularly long-term learning and retention,…

In this article, we examine the construction of word meaning by students during collaborative activities in a multicultural classroom at a Dutch primary school. The analysis is based on recordings of student talk in small groups of four or five students during mathematics lessons. Difficulties with specific terms and expressions frequently arose…

In this article, the authors present an approach to developing creativity through meaningful learning relationships that involve art, literature, dialogue, and experience. They present a model of creative teaching, Person-to-Person Learning, that includes a 3-stage process: (a) constructing the creative space, (b) engaging the learning theme, and…

A model of language and speciality-area content teaching and learning in Japan is built on a concern to develop dialogically engaged language communal communication (DELCC) in class to be extended outside in the wider society. This model is applicable to other university contexts insofar as the FAO language is conceptualised and practised for life…

Lecture discourse has been conventionally known to be of a monological nature. However, lectures are more highly regarded if they allow for reciprocal discourse, especially for students of other languages who need help in understanding the content and in appropriating the language. In this paper, we will attempt a qualitative analysis of the…

Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the "underlife" of the classroom. We observed six 11th and 12th grade history and government classrooms, twice a week, for a semester in order to explore whether and how teachers express their personal opinions, permit students to express their opinions, discuss political participation, and…

The "Oh No! Syndrome" represents the reactions of U.S. undergraduates towards a foreign teaching assistant (TA) when s/he walks into a class on the first day of a term. Since 1982, the Oh No! Syndrome has been studied as a "foreign TA language problem." Researchers have argued recently that U.S. undergraduates play an equally…

By the year 2010, it is projected that in the United States no single ethnic group will hold the majority. Even though a variety of other languages will be represented, English will probably remain as the "common" communication tool between and among ethnic and racial groups. An investigation focused on the impact of language and…