Examines notions and examples of instruction that can inhibit language growth, arguing that reading and writing curricula can be designed so that children are provided the freedom to explore language and grow as language learners in much the same way they learned oral language. (HTH)

Discusses what teachers can do when they discover that they dislike a child. Regardless of teachers' personal likes or dislikes, classroom rules must be maintained for all students. To provide a just learning environment, teachers must examine their nonverbal cues, the quality of their verbal interactions, and the congruity between the two.…

Follows a six-year-old boy and his writing-revising experiences at school, demonstrating how his independence as a writer develops. Teacher and peers initiate interactions with the writer as he listens and responds and gradually learns how to discuss writing and learns a sense of the purpose of revision. (HTH)

Subjects (N=41) were randomly assigned to one of two groups defined by the teacher's clarity in a genetics lesson: low-clarity versus high-clarity. Subjects rated lesson presentation and completed a test on content. The high-clarity group perceived lessons as significantly clearer and achieved more than the low-clarity group. (DS)

Reports on a pilot investigation of learner feedback and its effects on teacher/learner interactions, based on data collected from 12 ESL dyads and triads. Describes the methods used for data collection and data analysis, the latter involving classification of both learner feedback and teachers' post-feedback responses. (Author/ MES)

To discover why students ask so few questions in class, a questionnaire was distributed to 166 student teachers in university education courses. Of the three major reasons they cited for failing to ask a question, the most common was fear based on negative past experiences. Implications for teaching are drawn. (Author/SJL)

Reports the development of a 14-item index of teachers' affective communication designed to avoid the shortcomings associated with currently available measurement strategies. Recognizes the relationship between the teacher's style of affective communication in the classroom and teacher effectiveness. (JMF)

States that a major source of frustration for the second language teacher is the difficulty of bridging the gap between the formal aspects of language and the exploitation of the language in authentic situations. Suggests steps that can be taken to overcome the problem and to meet students' expectations. (MES)

Describes five videotapes drawn from a conference on teacher education. The tapes discuss alternative ways of viewing current problems in reading and language development, the "Breakthrough to Literacy" program developed in Great Britain, language codes, language as a resource, and language as a part of human behavior. (FL)

This approach utilizes a communications model, individual and group problem-solving activities and class discussion for mastering communication skills. Understanding communications principles and feeling secure in the classroom are essential. Students also deliver short informative and demonstration talks to prepare them for content area class…

The author, a tutor and adoptive mother of non-English-speaking children, warns teachers against unconsciously talking down to non-English-speaking students or treating them as stupid. Stressing the importance of cultural respect and nonverbal communication, she gives tips for acclimatizing the foreign child to the American classroom. (SJL)

Classrooms in two schools were observed to assess opportunities for language learning in the total classroom environment. Observers found that most classroom language is neither spontaneous nor purposeful. (Author/MLF)

A questionnaire was distributed to faculty members to determine which of the four basic language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) were most essential to nonnative speaker success in university classes. The receptive skills of reading and listening were ranked first. Implications for teaching and curriculum development are given.…

Reports a survey of elementary and middle school teachers regarding behaviors they perceived as signalling a lack of communicative competence on the part of students. Results indicate, that from a teacher's point of view, communication competence involves a complex of behaviors including attitudinal/motivational, as well as cognitive dimensions.…

Reviews classroom procedures for dealing with Chicano children that are particularly designed for monolingual/monocultural Anglo classroom teachers. (MM)