The purpose of this study was to develop scoring categories to assess differences in how teachers describe their communication patterns with students, focusing on teachers' understandings rather than on their behavior. Case study data was used to look at differences in teachers' responsiveness to students in their classrooms. Data came from three interviews, two structured and one open-ended, in which teachers discussed their teaching and their interactions with students. Findings indicated that reliable scoring categories related to the topic of interpersonal communication could be constructed from the data. The two case study teachers, who had very different scores on a cognitive-developmental measure, had contrasting understandings about students and described their interactions with them in ways that were consistent for each teacher across the three interviews. Details of the interviews held with teachers are presented along with extracts from the interviews. (CB)