Discussed are five aspects of testing the oral language production of young native speakers of English, the validity of such testing, the relationship of tests to everyday speech activities, and the irrelevance of models drawn from foreign language testing. (Author/KC)

Transcriptions of a teacher using the "look and say" method of teaching reading to her beginners grade are analyzed. Methodological problems are identified and related to the children's view of the reading process and to their views of themselves as learners. The language experience approach is also discussed. (Author/KC)

It is argued that informed judgments by a thoughtful teacher may have advantages over the application of a readability formula in assessing the linguistic difficulty of a text. Examples are given. (KC)

The development of spoken language is considered from three related aspects: symbolic function, auditory-vocal function and communicative function. Attention is drawn to the implications for education of developmental delay in any of these areas. Some of the danger signals presented in the classroom are mentioned. (Author/KC)

Described is an attempt to devise a model which will enable us to describe development in style in children's writing, together with a theoretical justification of such a model. Its effect is to suggest that perhaps more objectivity is possible in the discussion of style than was previously believed. (Author/KC)

Five English language scripts which had been part of an external examination were copied in five contrasting styles of handwriting, and distributed as a marking exercise to groups of practicing teachers. Findings suggest that in some cases how the essay is written is almost as critical as the essay content. (Author/KC)

The mental activities of reading and responding to literature and the difficulties that occur as students try to produce written accounts of what they have gained are explored, as are the demands made on the student's language when putting into words what s/he has gained through a study of literature. (Author/KC)

Case study recordings of a science lesson are assessed to examine the role of talk in the learning process. Implications are raised for similar informal assessments by practicing teachers. (Author)

Language assessment is reviewed as a technology which could become more effective for classroom use through school-based development and greater use of alternatives to standardized testing. (Author)

Through a review of a language development course, the author discusses the ways in which linguistic knowledge is presented to students, reports on his direct experience of working as a tutor, and examines what he thinks should be the characteristic relationship between linguistics and inservice pedagogy. (Author/KC)

The author considers the dominant paradigm in reading comprehension research inadequate, because the skills measured by comprehension tests are unlikely to represent the full range of typical reading behaviors. He describes a preliminary study using an alternative, qualitative interview methodology to analyze the reading difficulties of eight…

Over 17 months, pupils' abilities to evaluate documentary evidence and to deduce concepts and changes in their attitudes toward the course were assessed. Results emphasize the importance of syllabus and teaching technique, rather than maturation, indicating limitations in studies of children's historical thinking narrowly based on Piagetian…

Four age groups between 7 and 15 listened to a prose passage delivered at a slow or fast speech rate and structured to join or separate related pieces of information. A recall test followed immediately. Performance was correlated to subjects' age and sex. Implications for classroom teaching are considered. (Author/SJL)

This review examines aspects of schooling most significant to academic performance. Part I considers sociological aspects of the school: school selection, grouping practices, peer group formation and influence, and teacher expectation. Part II looks at pedagogical/policy aspects: teacher characteristics, expenditures, and class size. Further…

Presents an overview of research on the ways in which classroom thermal environment, lighting conditions, ion state, and electromagnetic and air pollution affect learning and the performance of students and teachers. (SJL)