Examines (1) the correlations between teacher clarity and teacher verbal and nonverbal immediacy for ethnically diverse students; and (2) the correlations of clarity and verbal and nonverbal immediacy with four instructional outcomes for ethnically diverse students. Finds cultural differences in these relationships. Finds significant correlations…

Using sound field amplification which increased the intensity of the teacher's voice by 10 decibels, 9 primary-level children with developmental disabilities made fewer errors on a word identification task, were more relaxed, and responded more quickly than without amplification. (Author/JDD)

Four naturalistic methods for assessing college student learning styles are discussed: direct observation of student behavior, in-depth interviews with students, analysis of self-directed learning projects, and analysis of the guiding metaphors used by students in describing the teaching-learning process. Each suggests ways teachers can adapt to…

Discusses the description of English discourse for teaching purposes, drawing on new information from analysis of CANCODE (Cambridge/Nottingham Corpus of Discourse in English). Concludes that language teaching should be based on regularities and patterns, not rules, and that exposure to real, informal language of native speakers, with its…

Outlines techniques used by one Russian studies faculty member to enhance enrollment and retain students, including developing courses that satisfy interdepartmental requirements, advertising, catching student interest early, providing interest and relevance, initiating open class discussions, using direct study approaches, using guest lecturers…

Suggests that while various models of bilingual education have been implemented in Aboriginal communities in Australia's Northern Territory, the degree to which these programs operate successfully is quite another matter. One example from a particular program outlines the ongoing miscommunication that occurs between Aboriginal students and their…

Examines patterns of talk and the nature of talk in two different classrooms discussing Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Finds that the images of Hamlet and Gertrude were strikingly different: in the college class, the characters were confined to stereotypical gender roles; while in the high-school class, such stereotypes were refuted. (SR)

Synthesizes findings of four case studies that examine technology-rich environments and how they might promote democratic learning. Discusses experiences of each via a matrix of four domains of democratic learning environments (power and voice; beliefs about knowledge and learning; modes of thinking and expression; and perspective on instructional…

Argues that a carefully designed and skillfully moderated asynchronous Internet classroom environment can help minimize problems related to gender in traditional classrooms. Discusses class "climate" and class discussion in the traditional classroom and in the online classroom. Notes research related to gender and the online classroom. Outlines…

Presents a computer-mediated discourse on the Pythagorean equation in a university classroom of preservice and inservice teachers. Shows how the use of a spreadsheet as a two-dimensional modeling tool enables students to conjecture the general solution to the Pythagorean equation. Argues that a computational approach to the ancient problem…

Provides a detailed account of the significant components of Sister M. Gertrude Hennessey's instruction for conceptual change learning in an elementary science classroom. Discusses the implications of this case study for the practices of other teachers. Contains 40 references. (Author/WRM)

An ethnographic study of a freshman composition class at the Universidad Autonoma de Santa Domingo (Dominican Republic) examined classroom practices and behaviors of the professor and students as students learned to improve their native-language reading and writing skills. Differences from U.S. classrooms are discussed in terms of the needs of…

Discusses ways in which a teacher can mislead students by adopting the wrong strategy when answering an unexpected student question. Presents a scheme for addressing unexpected questions and illustrates it with examples. (Author/WRM)

Considers how curricular self-analysis of patterns of classroom talk provides teachers with an important opportunity to consciously consider the ways their talk works to define the nature of literacy events, students' roles, and the literacy strategies children come to use and value. (SR)

Examines aspects of communicative classroom discourse that may affect the potential of recasts to be noticed as negative evidence by young second-language learners. The database comprises transcripts of over 18 hours of interaction recorded during 27 lessons in four immersion classrooms at the primary level. (Author/JL)