This paper traces the sophisticated negotiations to re-inscribe the authority of Nature when a school science experiment fails during the enactment of a highly rated science curriculum unit. Drawing on transcriptions from classroom videotapes, we identify and describe four primary patterns of interaction that characterize this process, arguing…

This paper discusses the findings of a case study conducted with an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher at a German secondary school. This case study is part of a research project that investigates the new competencies that EFL teachers need to acquire in order to be able to use the interactive whiteboard (IWB) to develop their practice,…

Since the 1920s, textbook critics have maintained that textbooks should offer a homogenous editorial approach, including an acknowledgment of a mix of author opinion and scholarly research. Several researchers indicated that some textbooks are not homogenous. The purpose of this quantitative content analysis study was to examine whether…

This single case study examined a Deaf teacher's behaviors and beliefs that reflect her expectations of her deaf students. Primary modes of communication used were American Sign Language and written English. Data were collected via videotaped observations and interviews. Analysis was done by coding utterances of the participants using a deductive…

In this study I rely on sociocultural views of learning and teaching to describe how fifth- sixth-grade students in a Fostering a Community of Learners (FCL) classroom gradually adopted scientific ideas and language in a socially complex classroom. Students practiced talking science together, using everyday, scientific, and hybrid discourses as…

In this paper we question key terms which appear frequently in discussions of language teaching and learning: "language" and "heritage". The paper draws on empirical data from one of four linked case studies in a larger project funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), "Investigating Multilingualism in…

This paper explores difficulties in talking about "race" and difference in a post-apartheid university classroom. The data come from classroom-based research conducted in a first-year undergraduate English Studies course at a historically "white" and Afrikaans university in South Africa. Drawing on poststructuralist ideas on…

Ethnomethodology is the analytical frame used here to recover embedded cultural discursive phenomena in the language of "at risk" middle-school boys as they talk about "computer games" and "schooling". What emerges is a rich picture of myths and heroes, identities of participation where member values and a discernible moral order are part of the…

This article seeks to understand the ways in which feedback was communicated in post-observation conferences in teaching practice supervision within the learning-oriented field experience assessment (LOFEA) framework. 32 post-observation conferences between 21 pairs of supervisors and participants of in-service teacher education programmes, and…

The four Cs of classroom management--commendation, communication, consistency, and content--represent one of the quickest and most successful ways to establish a safe, healthful, and fun environment at any level, especially in elementary schools. Using the four Cs helps establish an efficient, supportive, and safe environment to nurture positive…

In this article, the author responds to a teacher's request for advice on how to handle students who are loud and aggressive in the classroom. The author provides some suggestions on how to establish a smooth-running classroom. She firmly believes in creating well-thought out policies and procedures and politely, but firmly, insisting that…

This study reflects a social constructivist theoretical framework in which the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a central element, as two teaching approaches, communicative language teaching (CLT) and explicit focus on form (FonF) are examined. Research questions include: Are CLT and explicit FonF conducive to reaching the ZPD? Is there a…

Modern primary teachers must adapt literacy programmes and ensure efficient learning for all. They must also support children with language and literacy difficulties, children learning English as an additional language and possibly teach a modern foreign language. To do this effectively, they need to understand the applied linguistics research…

With the instructor switching positions, alternately assuming the role of questioner and answerer, this paper explores the applicability of circular questioning to the types of interactions in which faculty members engage on a regular basis, such as teaching. Focusing on responses to various questions, the paper speculates that for students to see…

This document focuses on how mathematics teaching and learning can be improved by developing more powerful approaches to connect thinking and mathematics. It proposes changing perspectives on what it means to learn and do mathematics and explores how these perspectives can be incorporated into the teaching of secondary school mathematics. Chapter…