This study examined how 16 Black, Latina, and American Indian women science students reacted to their undergraduate science classes. I focused on the meanings they made of the common features of university science documented by Seymour and Hewitt (1997), including large, competitive, fast-paced classes, poor teaching, and an unsupportive culture.…

During the past 10 years, a Japanese instructor at an American university has learned to use her cultural background to her advantage. As a graduate student at Bowling Green State University (Ohio), she first perceived her background as an obstacle to her teaching and tried to pretend that she was not different from other faculty. But this mindset…

The views of students with learning and behavior problems about how teachers can help them were investigated. The 40 students had mild disabilities and were in grades kindergarten through grade 12 in resource rooms, content mastery centers, and general education classes. Structured interviews addressed the following questions: What do you enjoy…

A study examined from a feminist poststructuralist perspective the discourses available in a classroom using a critical pedagogy, based on a belief that teaches need to make it possible for their students to question the social world constructed in texts. The teacher of an Australian junior primary classroom (with students age five to eight) took…

Based on research on verbal behavior and the relationship between teachers' verbal responses and student achievement and success, this document discusses the role of teacher language in motivating students and provides examples of classroom techniques that aid learning. The first section reviews ways in which teachers' use of language can…

Using a story-oriented approach, this book describes and discusses real-life issues and conflicts encountered by parents and teachers of young children. Each scenario is followed by practical approaches to solving these problems. Part 1, "Today's Family Patterns and Discipline," addresses the impact family changes can have on children,…

This report focuses on the teaching of English to Aboriginal children in primary schools in Australia. A definition and analysis of dialectal differences between Aboriginal (Australian) English and Standard (Australian) English is offered that includes the phonological, morpho-syntactic, lexico-semantic, and pragmatic differences of the Aboriginal…

A study analyzed the perspectives, as expressed in gestures, of six sixth-grade students in science classes as they either explained in-the-moment or described book-learned or previously thought-out ideas. Student behaviors were analyzed for evidence of three perspectives: (1) outside observer, shown by the observer standing apart from his gesture…

Based on the idea that assessment and evaluation have become major concerns in elementary education, this book offers a solution for involving both children and parents in the processes of evaluation. Arguing for a program known as "negotiated evaluation," the book gives practical suggestions for implementing the program; looks at…

English instructors often find themselves in a position of upholding what they realize is an institutional form of racism and classism. Such "standards" presuppose a "correct" language form, one that is often stultifying and unchanging. In today's college classrooms, many English as a Second Language students appear whose…

This book presents excerpts from a large collection of student journals which were submitted to an English professor over a 15-year period. The diaries, many of which were read aloud and anonymously in class, offer a unique glimpse into the personal world of students' lives. The journals demonstrate many of the themes that students write about and…

The guide offers instructors a system for responding to their English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students' writing, and is designed to accompany an ESL student guide to editing. It include information on how to: respond as a collaborator and constructive critic; respond to content; respond to sentence-level errors; assign grades; help students…

In recent years, research on classroom climate has focused on developing instruments to measure the relationships between student perceptions of classroom climate and learning outcomes. However, very little has been done to help teachers improve their classroom climates. This paper presents findings of a study that attempted to improve classroom…

A study examined how 8 writers, both successful and less successful (4 of each), constructed their interpretations of teachers' written comments and what factors influenced their readings of teachers' comments. Subjects, 8 students enrolled in the first semester writing course at Olivet Nazarene University, a small private liberal arts…

A study sought to better understand the construct of teacher verbal effectiveness. Teacher verbal effectiveness was theoretically conceptualized using certain variables: verbal immediacy, language intensity, self-disclosure, communication and accommodation, and humor. A scale was developed and factor analysis yielded a unidimensional teacher…