Reported is an investigation of the instructional styles of 23 earth science teachers who used the Earth Science Curriculum Project (ESCP) materials and text with eighth- or ninth-grade students. Flanders' interaction analysis system was used as a basis for the observations. The differences in teaching procedures were identified by using the…

This book, one of three Teacher Resource Booklets on Classroom Social Relations and Learning developed at the Center for Research on Utilization of Scientific Knowledge at the University of Michigan, discusses the theoretical background of role playing and gives a step-by-step discussion of how to use role playing in the classroom. There are…

Former candidate for U.S. Assistant Attorney General Lani Guinier is attempting to make law school and the legal profession more welcoming to women, in part by rejecting use of the Socratic method in classroom discussion, which she feels is intimidating, combative, and discriminates against women. Others say the Socratic approach encourages men…

A study of the use of interactive discourse in the second language classroom begins with a discussion of the regulation of discourse, examines the use of scenarios for the promotion of interactive discourse, and provides evidence from classroom use of the effectiveness of this technique. Three types of discourse control are noted: object…

A study examined the effects of three types of teacher questions (literal, interpretive, applied) on: (1) frequency, length, and quality of student response; (2) classroom interaction; (3) student questions; (4) intentional and incidental learning; and (5) student attitudes. Multiple-choice formats were used to assess intentional learning, and…

A study surveyed 972 college students for their preferences in classroom arrangement (tradition straight-row, horseshoe, and modular) and their seating preferences within each style. Results indicated that students' arrangement preferences are influenced by both attractiveness of the course and the individual student's communication apprehension…

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of teacher expectancy on student performance. The question is asked: Do teachers in secondary grades treat students for whom they have low expectations in ways that tend to fulfill them, and if so, what is the nature of this differential treatment? Differential teacher behavior (quantitative and…

The process of invitational teaching involves the creation of an optimal situation where teachers with positive perceptions of students interact with students who feel good about themselves. The content of this invitational process is a type of self-belief extended from one person to the other, a belief that each individual has an unknown…

A step-by-step description is given of the development of a model for the improvement of student teacher relationships. This model was created by a student forum in workshop sessions with teachers, other school personnel, and parents. In this report the design of the workshops is described, and the recommendations resulting are outlined. Included…

This study was designed to develop a series of instructional modules to teach inservice teachers the Flanders System of Interaction Analysis. Instructional modules were constructed based on research information, and then modified from feedback from experts and random trials. Two field-test groups were used to provide data for validation testing,…

A study tested two hypotheses: (1) that an inservice training program will alter teacher verbal behavior and (2) that this altered behavior will be associated with increased pupil achievement. Subjects were elementary teachers in two buildings, one the experimental (23) and one the control group (20) and their pupils in grades 1 through 5 (596…

This paper, one of a group prepared by the Classroom Interaction Project of the University of Missouri's Center of Social Behavior (see related documents AL 002 750-752), is organized into two parts. The first section, a presentation of results of research into the sociolinguistic distribution of syntactic structures in black and white classrooms,…

This protocol materials unit, based on the interaction component of instruction, is designed to help prospective teachers better understand verbal behaviors as related to fair (positive feedback) and unfair (negative feedback) responses. Fair verbal behavior is defined as following a standard of equal treatment toward all students and as free from…

Reports both the development of a scale designed to measure the levels of respect offered by teachers to their students and the results of a study which indicate that it is possible to train raters to employ the scale reliably. (Author/JM)

Assessed relationship between cohesion and dimensions of self-disclosure in classroom setting versus therapy groups and intimate relationships. Determined that unintentional and positive disclosures rather than self-disclosure were associated with high classroom cohesion. (Author/CM)