The ways in which second language learners and teachers together can develop learners' ability to carry on conversation in the target language are examined. The discussion is based on the idea that practicing language skills, therefore creating opportunities to gain additional knowledge, is essential to continued learning, whereas using such…

Social solidarity, the need to relate to significant others, has been identified as a goal that motivates students in classrooms. A study examined a specific instance of social solidarity: the relationship between influential teachers and students they have influenced. One hundred ninety present and former students (from diverse grade levels) and…

A set of recorded teacher-child interactions in a successful kindergarten classroom was analyzed using the Mehan interactional model for analyzing the sequential organization of speech acts within classroom lessons. The study identified aspects of teacher-student interaction during formal instruction time at micro-interactional levels. The class…

This study sought to develop theoretical propositions for the institutional, course, instructor, and student characteristics of the learning environment where interactive learning techniques are used in college-level business courses. Using an interpretive case study method with examination of documents, observations of instructors and students,…

Differences in the ways in which instruction is presented in United States and Chinese classrooms underscores the need for cross-cultural communication, particularly when a teacher from one culture is working in the other. Promoting cross-cultural communication in the classroom contributes to global efforts to achieve greater understanding among…

The responses of four scholars in the field of second language education to questions about language anxiety in second language learners are presented. The four respondents were Stephen Krashen, Alice Omaggio Hadley, Tracy Terrell, and Jennybelle Rardin. The formats of the interviews included telephone interviews on questions presented beforehand,…

One of three manuals developed to supplement the English Language Arts Syllabus K-12 for the State of New York, this draft manual discusses listening and speaking in the English language arts curriculum K-12. Designed to help teachers plan day-to-day instruction, the manual explains the rationale for listening and speaking instruction, defines…

Four classroom activities useful for language immersion instruction are described and specific applications and extensions are noted. All are best used to teach content and language at the same time. The first, entitled "Think-Pair-Share," is a cooperative learning technique that increases student participation in classroom experiences and…

Although there is much scientific research available to guide educational decision making, decision making based on prevailing conventional wisdom continues. Five areas are conspicuous for relying on this type of decision making. First, grade retention has been shown in over 600 studies to be detrimental to the child, yet the conviction persists…

A study examined college students' resistance decisions in the classroom. Initial validation tests of the resistance typology developed by N. Burroghs, P. Kearney and T. Plax (1989) confirmed the existence of all 19 resistance categories. Further analyses indicated that the categories could be meaningfully reduced to two dimensions: Teacher-Owned…

A study examined autobiographical narratives written by preservice English teachers who described their new experiences in student teaching. Subjects, 18 young men and women enrolled in a one-year combination teaching credential and masters degree program at Stanford University, described in writing a major classroom experience. Fourteen of the 18…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) program in an elementary school bilingual classroom with exclusively Mexican-American students (n=35). Because cooperative learning strategies are based on peer interaction and participants contributing to the common goal, the videotaped interactions…

This tutor training guide and handbook are designed to help organize training workshops for the new tutor of English as a Second Language (ESL), and to assist the tutor in understanding this student population and in organizing materials and activities for teaching. Materials for tutors include a discussion of the student population and its…

This monograph reviews the research findings related to the oral questioning behaviors and practices of teachers. It also gives some attention to written and student-generated questions. The purpose is to provide teachers with knowledge to assist them in making decisions about improving classroom instruction. The monograph examines past and…

A classroom ethnographic study of the uses of sound was conducted in church- and state-sponsored kindergartens in Haifa, Israel, and Konstanz, West Germany. Three German and four Israeli classes were selected for systematic study. Structured observations were made of class activities, the uses of space, and salient movements in the classroom.…