This brief literature review addresses three areas related to students who are deaf or hard of hearing in mainstream classroom settings: (1) factors contributing to successful classroom communication; (2) classroom amplification; and (3) alerting and other communication devices. Various devices are described and compared. (Author/DB)

A law professor describes his experience in teaching a seminar law school course about the abortion debate, including efforts to allay student concerns about teacher partiality, course design and content, criticisms received, and classroom interaction over the issues. (MSE)

Examination of the relationship between academic learning and group relations suggests that the study of each can inform the other. A partnership between the study of group relations and the study of literary theory could give new insights into teaching and learning as discursive practices, power relations in the college classroom, and sources of…

A pedagogical model for transitional English bilingual classrooms was developed to meet the goals of teacher training and guidance, program evaluation, and empirical validation of bilingual theories. The model defines and integrates theoretical principles useful for pedagogical application in four dimensions: activity structures, language of…

Creating opportunities and encouraging student-centered questioning requires a special teacher-student dynamic. Students need to be empowered to ask questions. The article explores what teachers can learn from questions students ask, focusing on learning outcomes for teachers, and using a second-grade lesson on Harriet Tubman as an example. (SM)

A Canadian university teacher of Native languages assessed the effectiveness of personal acquaintance with students, realistic reassurance, and avoidance of threatening behaviors for preventing and reducing school anxiety among Native students. Five case histories illustrate the successes and limitations of this approach. (Author/SV)

A study examined the conversations of eight groups of high school students in a level three Spanish class during a jigsaw speaking task, and compared their language use patterns with those of intermediate-level learners of English as a Second Language. Results suggest both similarities and differences. Choice of language is also considered. (17…

Provides working blueprints for a university technology lab built specifically for construction science students and faculty. More than just housing for computer workstations, the facility is intentionally designed as a medium for better communication and instruction. A future in which distance learning is the norm is addressed. (KRN)

Describes factors that impact faculty evaluations made by students. Discusses different teaching styles and how student evaluations may be influenced by teaching style. Provides suggestions for faculty assessments. Reviews methods used by English universities, noting differences between larger research institutions and smaller liberal arts…

Gives guidelines to help teacher produce instructional messages that match students' abilities to understand. The behaviors presented facilitate greater acquisition of teacher talk by focusing student attention, reducing the complexity of the message, leading students to key points that maintain student attention, and aiding in future recall. (SLD)

Describes novice biology teachers' strategies to exert sociolinguistic control over conversations when teaching unfamiliar science content; illustrates discourse control strategies used in one teacher's lessons. Findings suggest that teacher knowledge influences how teachers begin instruction, structure turns at talk, question students, evaluate…

Five teachers using a conversational approach to language teaching with hearing-impaired students were studied. Teachers tended to exert a high level of conversational control, though conversational control decreased over time. The children (ages 4-10) exhibited language growth in their imitations and responses but not in spontaneous utterances.…

Discusses the application of "say-do" (a technique which compares students' verbal commitment to positive behavior with the actual behavior) correspondence training to reduce troublesome behavior in the classroom. Specifically reviews the cases of seven secondary students and traces their responses to this technique. Defends…

A study analyzed the functions of 25 publicly accessible college-course Web sites, then surveyed some of the sites' authors. All sites performed course-management functions valued by instructors; a small subset also demonstrated easily implemented, successful, and pedagogically interesting uses of the World Wide Web. Pages conveyed implicit and…

Contrasts two models of instruction: building on ideas in shared endeavors; and transmit-and-test formats. Discusses how these contrasting formats may relate to interactional patterns observed in toddlers and caregivers in a Mayan and a middle-class European-American community; and elementary school children in Japan and the United States. (SR)