Presents conversations from series of lessons in which the power of mathematical conversations was epitomized and fourth-grade students were encouraged to make conjectures to their classmates. Describes how each conversation offered insights into the ways in which students had constructed mathematics. (ASK)

Examined a classroom in which fourth graders' questions dominated the discourse, investigating how the teacher reduced forces that discourage student questions in instruction. Observation and interview data indicated that the teacher respected her students as well-intentioned learners, viewed the assumptions revealed by student questions as steps…

Examines one teacher's learning and implementing instructional conversations. Finds that students gave longer responses, initiated conversation, and participated in responsive conversation in which they contributed to, challenged, and extended each others' statements. Discusses implications for teachers' professional development. (SC)

Explores how teachers can support English-language learners in learning mathematics. Uses discourse perspective to analyze participation in mathematical discussions. Examines a lesson from a third-grade mathematics discussion of the geometric shapes of a tangram puzzle. Contains 20 references. (ASK)

The Zhu model for analyzing computer mediated communications was further developed by an Athabasca University (Alberta) distance education research team based on ease of use, reliability, validity, theoretical support, and cross-discipline utility. Five classification categories of the new model are vertical questioning, horizontal questioning,…

Describes the validation and use of English and Chinese versions of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) in a study of high school science classrooms in Australia (n=1081) and Taiwan (n=1879). Data analysis supported each scale's internal consistency reliability, factor structure, and ability to differentiate between classrooms,…

Argues that many students are alone and afraid in high schools. Looks at two basic premises underlying the traditional way of doing school: competition and conformity, and their inherent violence. Describes how the author works with prospective English teachers in her methods class, showing them how teachers can teach a curriculum of respect and…

A study involving 33 teachers and 732 college students with deafness found a moderate relation between students' perceptions of communication ease and teaching effectiveness and a weak relation of these two variables to the teachers' assessed level of sign skill. Students could clearly differentiate three levels of teacher sign skill. (Contains…

Traces the history of usage of two indigenous languages of Scotland: Gaelic, used largely in the Highlands, and Scots, which developed in parallel with English and is often unrecognized as a separate language because of mutual comprehensibility. Examines changing attitudes toward these languages in educational policy and practices, and current…

Offers a variety of alternative techniques for generating effective discussion of ethics, and values case studies in the college classroom. Some techniques help increase the case study's impact by use of audiovisual aids, and others, such as staged readings, feature ease of preparation and presentation. Seventeen innovative variations are…

Analyzes the interpretations of equality and the equal symbol of third grade children who participated in a year-long, whole-class socio-constructivist teaching experiment. Concludes that children expanded their conceptualizations of equality due to an active role in class discussions and the arithmetical tasks that took into account children's…

Finds that students enrolled in conventional classrooms and distributed-learning classrooms (in which students primarily interact with the instructor and other students through computer-mediated communication) did not perceive a significant difference in instructor verbal immediacy, but they did perceive a significant difference in instructor…

States that students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder require a different sort of structured classroom environment, not necessarily a quiet or outwardly ordered one. Encourages teachers to offer students opportunities to talk and interact, to schedule frequent changes of activity, and to use instructional techniques that actively…

Examines the language of mathematics textbooks, highlighting the depth of meaning found in their minimalist, technical styles. Indicates that instructors must guide students from the collection of rules and mathematical facts listed in the texts to an integrated totality of mathematical truth. (MAB)

Explores book discussions conducted by two teachers as they increased the use of literature in their classrooms. Finds that both teachers valued book discussions and saw their role as facilitator, although one teacher remained firmly within a literal interpretation of texts and in control of verbal interaction; and students tended to address…