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,…

This paper discusses adaptation of the Total Physical Response technique, as used in a college German course, to the learning of grammar in high school second language courses. It is proposed that direct methods involving physical action can be used to teach and test production of almost any traditional grammar item and retain the motivational…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles discuss a variety of topics, including the following: (1) caregiver talk to toddlers in dyadic and polyadic care; (2) communication tactics for neutralizing verbal aggression; (3) physical attractiveness and nonverbal…

Peer influence on students has been of interest to sociologists for some time. But most studies of elementary classroom interaction have focused primarily on teacher-student interaction. A study of peer influence on other group members was designed to explain why students assigned to low ability groups became inattentive more frequently than…

This paper describes counselmime, a therapeutic cognitive-focusing technique for career and life style planning, in which mimes perform skits designed to heighten self-awareness, enhance communication, and enable viewers to cognitively restructure situations of psycho-social importance to them. The key components of this technique are presented in…