This volume examines the organization of second language and multilingual speakers' talk and pragmatic knowledge across a range of naturalistic and experimental activities. Based on data collected on Danish, English, Hawai'i Creole, Indonesian, and Japanese as target languages, the contributions explore the nexus of pragmatic knowledge,…

In general, talking with young children encourages development in many areas: (1) spoken language; (2) early literacy; (3) cognitive development; (4) social skills; and (5) emotional maturity. Speaking with children in increasingly complex and responsive ways does this even better. This article explores research findings about the effects of…

This Brief Report summarizes case studies of the classroom teaching practices of 2 algebra teachers. The data consist of videotaped classroom observations during 1 academic year. The study identifies and characterizes specific teaching practices that establish the norm that the teacher is the sole arbiter of mathematical correctness in the…

Research in multilingual classrooms demonstrates education as a key site within which social and linguistic values are shaped. This study extends such research by investigating language use in a Scottish primary classroom. Scots is widely spoken throughout Scotland, figuring in a 2003 Scottish Parliament report as one of two indigenous heritage…

We report on a case study examining the effects of a technology adaptation on patterns of discourse in a sheltered English high school science unit on electricity. The focus here is on how the tool, a classroom response system (CRS), affected access to and participation in classroom discourse with regard to developing science literacy among…

Massively Multiuser On-line Learning (MMOL) Platforms, often called "virtual learning worlds", constitute a still unexplored context for communication-enhanced learning, where synchronous communication skills in an explicit social setting enhance the potential of effective collaboration. In this paper, we report on an experimental study of…

In this study, a gap is identified in the literature about teacher talk in elementary classrooms. In particular, there is not rich description of teacher talk during the routine times of the elementary classroom, the times when the class is being organized and directed so that instruction can commence or resume. The study used an ethnographic…

This book clarifies the core values which all great educators have in common and contribute to school success. For all those who want to create better schools, these factors are at the center of behaviors which lead to "results". The 4 CORE Factors are Communication, Observation, Relationships, and Expectations.

The emphasis in this paper is on basic principles of pedagogy and communication in the classroom. An underlying need for faculty development emerges because the majority of college professors have not had training in "how to teach." Faculty are products of master and doctorate degree programs where the emphasis is on research and writing…

As many scholars have discussed, when addressing divisive social issues many people immediately assume an adversarial posture, thus lessening the chance for productive dialogues about these issues and lessening the likelihood that people will listen to each other. One area that is keenly affected by our "argument culture" is the classroom; after…

The process of teaching and learning in school has a natural long-term trajectory and cannot be understood only as a series of discrete educational events. Classroom talk plays an important role in mediating this long-term process, and in this article I argue that more attention should be given to the temporal dimension of classroom dialogue, both…

The "Find Your Classroom Voice Program" has been offered at Kingsborough Community College for the past three years. Its purpose is to enable students who are consistently inactive in class discussions (and who might be called "classroom-specific social phobic") to develop the ability to take a more active role in the classroom. With its success,…

This article describes how teachers can use students' conversations to assess their mathematical understanding. The authors draw on their own classroom experiences to show what they learned about planning for future lessons based on discussions in their own classrooms.

In the previous English-Language Learner (ELL) column, we addressed the first of four complementary components aimed at highlighting quality instruction for ELLs. The first in the series focused on the role of explicit code and comprehension instruction for ELLs. In that column we reminded readers of the importance of providing code instruction…

Sarah Irwin and Cyndi Knodle believe that by replacing the confines of content and form in writing instruction and assignments with ample "time and space for invention and arrangement, writing teachers can help to inspire student thinking rather than chopping it off to fit a required format." They elaborate on students' eagerness to be guided by a…