The quality of classroom interactions has typically been studied using aggregates of ratings over time. However, within-day ratings may contain important variability. This study investigated within-day variability using the NICHD Study of Early Childcare and Youth Development's observational data during grades 3 and 5. The first question examined…

Scheduling guidelines for teachers of severely handicapped students include that instruction should be activity-based and that interaction with nonhandicapped peers should be maximized. Characteristics of the students (physical limitations, age, and reinforcing activities) and of administration (necessary daily activities, personnel, regular…

Four elements of a model of effective instruction are instructional Quality; Appropriate levels of instruction; Incentive; and Time. In the QAIT model, all four elements must be adequate, and improvements in multiple elements may produce larger learning gains than improvement in any one. (SK)

This article offers some organizational solutions to help teachers better manage their classrooms and their time. To assist with the room arrangement, notebooks, and file cabinets, teachers may find it helpful to use color coding. Most teachers will have more than one class to teach during the course of a day, and, perhaps, more than one course to…

In order to ascertain students' preferences for the number of times a class should meet each week, 375 questionnaires administered to students during the 1989 summer session at Cuyahoga Community College, Western Campus (Ohio) were evaluated. Results indicated that 49% of respondents preferred classes meeting twice each week, and 29% preferred…

The author, Deputy Head of Chalk Dell Infant School in Hertford, England, reviews research on the effects of class size and analyzes her own experience with a class of 33 and a class of 23 students. (Editor/SJL)

Two authors discuss the allocation of classroom instructional and noninstructional time and suggest ways that an elementary teacher can increase students' engaged time and his/her own productivity as a teacher. (Author/SJL)

Comparison of every-day and every-other-day instructional schedules with six preschool children (two with autism and pervasive developmental disorders) found the every-other-day schedule equally effective in fewer sessions and minutes of instruction than the every-day schedule. Generalization and follow-up were not differentially affected by the…

Schools have a yearly rhythm--changing with the cycle and demands of the school calendar. There is the Season of Hope as the school year starts; then comes homework discontent, conferences of concern, grading and testing crises, newspaper attacks, worries about burnout, and the search for renewal. In keeping with all this, the material compiled…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether collective bargaining significantly affects teacher time, particularly time spent in instruction and preparation. The study was based on recent research indicating that student achievement is affected by the time teachers spend in these areas. Researchers divided the activities performed by…

Twenty-seven second-grade students were observed during two reading periods to examine the nature of instruction and academic responding time for students in high, middle, and low reading groups. Across all groups, it was found that students spent about 20 minutes of a 120-minute typical reading period actively engaged in academic responding, and…

Data for this study were collected by observing 60 secondary school English classes over a four-month period. The principals of six schools chose 15 of their most effective teachers to be observed. Four questions were addressed: (1) How do teachers and students spend classroom time together?; (2) What instructional processes are used most often?;…

This research suggests that school districts can simultaneously comply with Title I and violate congressional intent for expanding and improving the regular program. Losses in instructional time accompanying Title I may explain its ineffectiveness. (CP)

The "class trap" is defined as the problems which can arise when all students in the class are required to progress at the same rate. To illustrate this concept, a case study is presented of arithmetic instruction in a single class, then strategies to avoid the trap are outlined. (SJL)

The instructional organization patterns used by experienced teachers in coping with classroom environmental demands is described. Observations of teachers in natural settings were conducted using both a self-designed observation schedule and brief narratives to capture the nature of the classroom climate. Results suggest that teachers use…