An ethnographic study was conducted (1) to describe the interaction between students and teacher during reading lessons and the meanings these interactions have for both, and (2) to develop an understanding of how schooling contributes to the reproduction of social inequalities. The study involved daily observations of the ten third, fourth, and…

A variety of educational issues and techniques are discussed in 12 essays by faculty and students at the Connecticut community colleges. Phillip Wheaton recalls the austere beginnings of Middlesex Community College (MCC). Mary-Jo Hewitt describes her adjustment to a four-year college after transferring from MCC. Following a poem by James Childs,…

Techniques for observing the classroom behavior of teachers and students are examined. These techniques provide a framework for analyzing and understanding classroom interaction, for making decisions about what should be happening, and for changing instructional behavior when it is necessary. The observation methods allow collection, analysis, and…

Addressing the need for effective teaching and accountability in music instruction, this document describes a study of an inservice project to train teachers in the use of consistent verbal and nonverbal behaviors. The project involved 27 music teachers in the inner city, multiracial community of East Harlem in New York City. The workshop sessions…

The 99 observation systems described in this anthology describe measurable categories of behavior, rather than global concepts. These systems function as a meta-language--a language for describing communication. Each represents one or more of seven major categories: affective, cognitive, nonverbal, activity, content, sociological structure, and…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 13 titles deal with the following topics: the development of strategies and materials for teaching speech communication to students in a remedial pilot program; the treatment of ethics in selected speech communication textbooks;…

A study of 25 male college students (14 Native Americans, 11 Anglo Americans) assessed the role of culturally-differing communications behavior in the dropout rate of Native American students (while the students want an education, they also wish to retain their cultural identity, and equate class participation with assimilation into non-Indian…

Nonverbal teacher behavior is recognized as an important factor in establishing a positive social climate in the classroom. A feedback and analysis instrument is presented focusing on specific nonverbal teacher behaviors. These behaviors--facial expressions, gestures, body movements, and idiosyncratic characteristics--are categorized as either…

This handbook, aimed at helping the new teacher in a ghetto elementary school, exposes the problems facing ghetto teachers and presents detailed practical ways in which successful teachers have dealt with them. Their solutions, which can be as specific as organizing a neat bulletin board to help create a secure atmosphere, are presented in the…

This report reviews 3 demonstration studies in which the Topic Classification System of classroom interaction analysis (a system of analyzing teacher objectives and student performance) was applied to 3 samples of classroom behaviors to determine the range and limitations of the system. In the introduction the system is discussed with reference to…

Suggestions for communicating and therefore teaching college students effectively are put forth. Emphasis is on lively interactions between students and teachers, with additional focus on the instructor's need to understand student needs both in the classroom and after graduation. Specific methods are illustrated with classroom examples for…

This handbook is intended as a guide to the American teacher in helping Vietnamese students make the cultural and academic transition to the American classroom. Part one of the handbook suggests approaches to specific problems arising from cultural and linguistic differences, including forms of address, coeducation, work habits, contact with…

This paper deals with the phenomenon of code switching among bilinguals. Whereas previous studies of code switching have, however, concentrated on instances in which code alternation can be correlated with a change in social occasion, this paper uses examples from the speech of Mexican-American and Afro-American bilinguals to focus on those…

This study sought to determine whether an in-service program would produce changes in teacher attitudes and in teacher-student verbal interaction in the classroom and whether the amount and direction of this change could be significantly measured. During an 8-week in-service program, an experimental group of 10 English and 10 mathematics teachers…

Part I of this book attempts to provide students with an understanding of the "academic enterprise" as a whole, and specifically the structures, people, money, myths and practices which create that peculiar enterprise known as freshman English, an experience through which the majority of college students must pass. Part II offers students a…