Descriptive studies in four elementary school French immersion classrooms investigated the negotiation of form in classroom discourse. Four interactional moves that encourage peer- and self-repair and draw attention to non-target output were examined. Found that recasts, the most common form of corrective feedback, can not lead to peer- or…

Discusses the importance of the first few days of a new college course, and offers teachers suggestions for getting off to a good start, including pre-class preparation, establishing and meeting expectations, establishing student-professor and student-student communication mechanisms, and motivating interest in the course material. (MSE)

A religion professor reflects on her approach and experiences in teaching an upper-level course on religion and sexual diversity, looking at conditions in the classroom that create the tolerance needed for discussion, the nature of subsequent classroom discussions of the relationship between body and spirit and about celibacy, and student…

Argues that the dual functions--visibility and invisibility--of talk in mathematics classrooms create dilemmas for teachers. Provides an analytic narrative vignette drawn from a secondary mathematics classroom in South Africa to illustrate the dilemma of transparency that mathematics teachers can face, particularly if they are teaching…

Reports on the productivity of different modes of classroom talk: whole class, pair work, and individual. Pair work was shown to provide the most optimum conditions for participant effort and productivity of ideas; however, each type of talk offers distinct benefits to teachers and students. Contains 25 references. (Author/WRM)

Culture influences expectations about classroom goals. The cultural distinction between individualism and collectivism is one factor that affects students' adjustment from home to school. Article suggests teachers and counselors may want to capitalize on students' cultural tendencies, but also plan for ways to expand students' repertories of…

Effects of structural and natural language use during direct instruction in teaching color and shape concepts to eight Turkish elementary children with moderate mental retardation were compared using an adapted alternating treatments design. Results indicated that natural language use was as effective or more effective than structural language…

Teacher/child interactions with learners with exceptionalities (n=15), learners at risk (n=19), and typical learners (n=50) were observed in three inclusive elementary classrooms. Teachers initiated more task-related interactions with exceptional children and gave them more negative feedback compared to others, but only at the beginning of the…

Highlights classroom role playing in Saudi Arabian classrooms as a psychological aid that fosters self-confidence in inhibited, timid, hesitant, and passive students and relieves them of their paternal communicative limitations. Proposes an overall strategy for role-playing as an effective communicative activity that teachers can exploit to help…

States that through his detailed elaboration of the ways in which dialog might be developed through educational and textual relations, Paulo Freire extends ideas found in Martin Buber's works. Provides a discussion on each of the two educational theorists' philosophies regarding the relationship between student and teacher. (VWC)

Students aged 11-12, placed in groups of four, used word processors to write about a dramatized event using persuasive, newspaper, recount, or report styles. Students' talk as they engaged in the task was analyzed to illuminate the linguistic and cognitive processes involved in group construction of text. (Author/SV)

A study in three rural New South Wales (Australia) schools examined the educational impact of videoconferencing on learning outcomes for students in grades 11 to 12. Both students and teachers stated that the videoconference system created significant advantages, enhancing teacher/student interaction and leading to improved learning outcomes, but…

Focuses on episodes from English classes in four Hong Kong high schools located in different socioeconomic areas. Drawing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, argues that different pedagogical approaches may be compatible or incompatible with or may challenge the students. (Author/VWL)

Discusses using scripted lessons to increase the academic information teachers give to students with emotional or behavior disorders before they ask the students to perform tasks that require the information. The results from a study that successfully used written scripts to decrease undesirable student behaviors are reviewed. (CR)

College teachers are encouraged to provoke students to analyze the grounds of their beliefs but to use care not to inflict personal biases and preferences. Several principles to follow in formulating provocative teaching techniques and to support students' critical thinking are outlined, with examples from philosophy instruction. Classroom…