A visual activity schedule (VAS) was used with a 7-year-old African-American (Non-Hispanic) male at-risk for school failure. An ABAB withdrawal design was used to assess the effectiveness of a VAS on decreasing latency during transitions. Results indicated that a VAS decreased transition latency between activities and reduced teacher prompting…

Nine handicapped and nine nonhandicapped preschoolers were observed in three settings that differed in grouping, supervision, and teacher direction. Handicapped children spent less time on-task and interacted more frequently with adults and less frequently with peers than did nonhandicapped children. Furthermore, handicapped and nonhandicapped…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for improving classroom seating arrangements in order to increase on-task behavior among students in second and third grade. The problem of off-task behavior was documented by means of behavior checklists and anecdotal records. Analysis of probable cause data revealed that students'…

Schedules of classroom activities and direct observation of actual activities were collected in 24 early childhood special education classrooms. Significant differences were found between the amount of time that teachers allotted for activities (such as play, self-care, transition, and story time) and the amount of observed time that children…

The Classroom Pairing System (CPS) for second language instruction is a simple pattern practice technique that allows students to practice orally with a partner. An advantage of the technique is that it allows maximum time on task for each student in a large class. Students hold picture cards in their hands, and the partners ask and answer…

This document offers perspectives on the concepts of environment and order related to the classroom setting. Environment is explained as the physical milieu, action structure, and the fit between these phenomena. Order can refer to the system being "in order" or to the participants being on task. Examples are presented of relationships…

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…

Investigated whether teachers involved in a classroom management inservice program would demonstrate more of the recommended teaching behaviors than teachers not so trained, and whether students in the classes of those teachers would spend more time engaged in appropriate learning activities than those in other classes. (FL)

This guide is designed to present a variety of techniques that can be used in conducting classroom observations. Observation techniques are clustered under four major teaching/learning variables: time on task, teacher talk, classroom interaction, and organization and management. Techniques are presented with an overview that details the rationale…

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?;…

Investigated classroom management practices in 26 classes taught by 13 junior high and middle/junior high school teachers using student-on-task, off-task, and disruptive student behaviors as primary criteria of management effectiveness. Effective management practices for general classroom procedures, laboratory procedures, managing student…

Cooperative learning aims to enhance students' on-task interactive behaviors in the classroom. Observation in Israeli elementary schools has indicated that interactive behavior of students in their learning sequence holds potential for quality cooperation and help among children, but that teachers lack the skills to structure learning tasks that…

Data from 12 2-hour observations of 41 elementary school classroom teachers were used to investigate classroom management problems associated with the use of small group instruction. Student engagement during small group instruction was compared with that in whole class instruction, seatwork, and transitions. Classroom narratives of subsamples of…

This study focused on social and cooperative behavior in traditional science classrooms. Students in 30 junior and senior high school science classes were observed in terms of the amount of time spent on task, or time spent concentrating on the lesson. The physical organization of the classroom, the instructional style of the teacher, and the…

A model of the teaching-learning process identifies and describes varied behavioral dimensions of the classroom and how they relate to pupil achievement. The model is based on the assumption that the total amount of engaged time on a particular topic is the most important determinant of achievement and has the components of: (1) quantity of…