A study of three children with multiple disabilities (two in first grade and one in fourth grade) tested the effectiveness of an intervention designed to increase peer interaction. The intervention included providing information to classmates on the use of communication aids, utilization of media for social interactions, and facilitation of social…

Two children (ages seven and eight) with autism and moderate mental retardation, who engaged in stereotypic behavior, were studied to investigate the effects of social interaction with peers. Results found that when peers made social initiations and the children engaged in social interaction, collateral decreases occurred in their stereotypic…

Explores techniques for creating cohesive active learning communities in which information can be linked to real-world experiences. Discusses four types of interactions that take place in distance learning environments: learner-content, learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-interface. Offers strategies for overcoming common barriers to…

Examines an in-service training session developed for use in the state sector in Thailand that aims to help teachers come to terms with some of the problems inherent in large classes. The article is based on the author's previous experience in Thailand and his continuing involvement there in teacher development. (11 references) (Author/CK)

The influence of child age and parent and child gender on parents' attributions and responses to their children's social and academic outcomes was studied with 76 dual-parent families of fifth, eighth, and eleventh graders. Results suggest the complexity of the interactions among these factors. (SLD)

Ten principles of interactive language teaching and learning link language pedagogy today with that of fifty years ago. Topics discussed include: (1) student as language learner; (2) language learning and teaching; (3) classroom communication; (4) knowledge and control of language; (5) testing; and (6) scope of language teaching. (MSE)

Analyzed counseling sessions conducted by counselors (N=8) treating undergraduate and graduate student clients (N=18) to determine whether distinctive patterns of actions and acts might provide a basis for a social science of counseling psychology. Found patterns of action-act sequences that warrant further investigation. (Author/CM)

Describes a study of elementary school teachers that examined learner perceptions of interaction--both personal and overall--and satisfaction in an inservice education course delivered by interactive television. Cognitive speed theory is explained; interactivity in distance education is discussed; implications for course design are considered; and…

Discusses the merit in having every English-as-a-Second-Language learner speak during every session to practice English as opposed to the value of allowing a period of silence until the student is ready to speak. It is crucial to provide a stimulus for meaningful interaction and to follow up with opportunities for each learner to use an individual…

Focuses on strategies of second-language learners who communicate among themselves. Pairs of students were left alone in a room with a sound recorder and instructions to describe a specific object. The communication strategy they selected to describe an object with no common referent was to paraphrase the object's function. (11 references) (CK)

Examines the way in which integration or mainstreaming policies in Australia have been subverted by labeling disruptive young people as defective and by deploying the practices and culture of disability as a means of imposing social control on such students. Suggestions are given for reframing the issue of school failure as interactional rather…

Undergraduate and graduate computer information systems students were surveyed regarding the effectiveness of various teaching formats and aids. Results revealed that small group projects and traditional formats are both very effective learning methods; group size impacts teaching effectiveness; and resources should be directed toward providing…

This study used microethnographic techniques to analyze the communication strategies used by a hearing-impaired preschool child to access social interactions. Strategies tended to be similar to those of his peer subgroup, though nonverbal strategies prevailed. Teachers promoted the child's verbal request "Can I play," but it was unsuccessful in…

Generalizability theory is used to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Listening and Writing Tests developed by American College Testing for its Work Keys program. Results with samples of 50 suggest the desirability of a minimum number of the tests' tape-recorded messages and the use of at least 2 raters. (SLD)

Studies and practices in which parents help children with oral reading are reviewed. The paper argues against techniques which focus on only the mechanical aspects of reading. The paper describes a program for training parents as tutors which uses transcripts of parent/child interactions during the reading process to show reading development.…