Objective: Students will identify several unique characteristics of verbal vs. visual messages, including the superior ability of language to communicate objective, factual, philosophical content in past, present, and future terms; and the superior ability of visual images to communicate social-emotional meaning and concrete information limited in…

This study examined the effectiveness of two factors in second language vocabulary teaching: (1) presence or absence of a text; and (2) use of a variety of explanation types. The study's context was three 9th grade and one 10th grade class of English-as-a-Second-Language students in Hong Kong. All classes were taught by different teachers. Their…

This practicum aimed to provide nonverbal students with a communication program to increase expressive language for daily living skills. Target students were four children (ages 6 to 7) with cerebral palsy. The practicum involved introducing children to pleasurable activities that encouraged communication behaviors, showing the children…

The introduction of affordable multimedia computers with CD-ROM capacity, videocassette recorders, and connections to the Internet and the World Wide Web have expanded opportunities to help society develop visual literacy. Art images are a natural choice for the teaching of visual literacy. At Northern Illinois University, a course was added in…

A case is made for a broader approach to the study of politeness strategies, as has been demanded increasingly by linguists working on non-Western languages. Using data from a role-played dialogue involving a request in the Southern Bantu language Zulu, speakers are first located culturally, then the sequence of vrebal utterances as a whole is…

Active learning results in better comprehension and retention of course concepts than passive learning. Experiential exercises (EE's) are a valuable means of achieving the goals of active learning. Well conceived EE's require, among other things, that the student: (1) engage in the gathering of concept-related behavioral data; (2) write a report…

Because the communication skills of people with significant disabilities are often limited, ordinary choices often elude them. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to help care-providers recognize the choices made by people with severe disabilities, especially those natural cues which indicate an individual's preferences. It discusses…

The design of a videotape recording for teaching politeness to learners of English as a Second Language is described. The recording attempts a step-by-step analysis of politeness realization markers and acts, especially face-threatening acts, simultaneously mapped onto the paralinguistic features accompanying them. It contains four bank scenes in…

The guide provides a conceptual framework for teaching cultural awareness and intercultural adjustment skills. Designed in the context of an intensified English second language program, the approach is recommended for students at the intermediate or advanced levels of language learning or for monocultural classes. In this approach, four stages of…

This booklet presents child-rearing practices found successful by families of children who are deaf-blind, and includes photographs of deaf-blind children using the techniques. Along with a broad overview of communications theory as it applies to young deaf-blind children, techniques are described for using tactile objects as keys to…

This manual contains materials to provide Peace Corps Volunteers with the skills to make the transition from one culture to another, to enter and become fluent in another culture, and to understand the current political, social, and religious context. The approach to training is "skill building" for continued learning. Introductory materials…

This paper reviews ways in which teachers inadvertently reinforce negative behavior of elementary school students through negative verbal or nonverbal communication. Discussion first points out differences between nonverbal and verbal communication, and then focuses on consequences of negative communication for children. Special attention is given…

Compiled for Japanese teachers of English who are interested in intercultural communication, this bibliography is broken down into 16 subcategories. Most items in the bibliography come from primary sources, and for each source available at the Michigan State University Library, the bibliography provides call numbers. The first section lists books…

It is important to teach listening strategies to second language learners because listening comprehension is a needed and wanted skill, and is also generally neglected. The traditional audiolingual approach does not see listening comprehension as a priority and gives little opportunity to practice listening. Traditional materials are…

Based on evaluation of studies on nonverbal aspects of communication in instructional settings, a teacher training program was developed for nonverbal perceptiveness and expressiveness. An experimental study was conducted to test the effect of the program on secondary school preservice teachers (N=34). Focus was upon vocal delivery, eye contact,…