Increasing the amount of time students spend in school does not necessarily improve learning. Article questions the quality and organization of classroom instruction, suggesting that these should be evaluated first. (RB)

Reports on how teachers organize their classrooms when they have more students than microcomputers available to them. Indicates that seatwork is the primary activity of students in a classroom when other students are engaged at the computer. Other findings (based on data from 1,082 microcomputer-using schools) are reported and discussed. (JN)

Lesson planning can be divided into three types--content, process, and context. Each type helps to organize classroom activities, and together they establish the ambiance of the learners' journey. Content plans focus on information students should know. Instructional strategies designed to introduce or elaborate the content presentation should be…

Offers 12 steps for increasing students' self-directedness and "time on task" in the classroom and displays the positive results of a recent study in an unspecified California high school that examined the effects of individualized inclass "calendars" designed to meet the needs of various types of students. (JBM)

This article describes student teachers' strategies for creating communities in special education classrooms that can produce class unity and pride, respect for each other, increased self-esteem, and the learning of life skills. Ways of developing communities while still addressing individual student goals are discussed. (CR)

Knowledge, curricula, and goals are implicated in some way in practically every organizational feature of schools. This paper begins with classroom activities as the most microscopic structure of interest to students of schooling processes. It progresses from there to the various forms of structure found in classrooms, to school and community…

A design for analyzing the narrative records obtained in four studies examined the character of classroom activities and how they are managed by teachers. Focus was on controlling classroom behaviors, classroom rules, handling of disruptive or inappropriate behavior, instructional leadership, classroom organization, and student engagement.…

Written by English teachers considered successful in directing collaborative learning, this collection of essays focuses on the effective use of collaborative learning in the English language arts classroom. The essays and their authors are, as follows: (1) "None of Us Is as Smart as All of Us" (Dana Herreman); (2) "Collaborative…

This workshop module focuses on how teachers can structure situations and activities in their classrooms to encourage or require a much broader range of behaviors and skills than are usually called for. It is designed to increase teachers' awareness of the various structural elements that can be manipulated in a classroom, and the way in which…

This chapter of "Helping Teachers Manage Classrooms" examines the various management techniques required by the different kinds of student groupings associated with different types of classroom activities. These activities are identified in terms of their action structures (specifying who shall do what, when, and to or with whom), their physical…

Strategies are presented for developing a sense of ownership in learning, for use with students from culturally diverse backgrounds who have mild to moderate disabilities. The strategies include structuring a physical environment conducive to ownership; encouraging student ownership in classroom management; and encouraging ownership in academics.…

This paper is the first-year report of a three-year project in Edina, Minnesota, developing a system for measuring differences among classroom environments and organizational patterns. Dimensions measured include teacher preferences for classroom structure, student perceptions of learning environments and classmate behavior, student attitudes,…

An overview is presented of research studies (carried out in the 1970s) dealing with the influence of time on student academic achievement. Discussions illuminate studies and findings about: (1) length of school day; (2) academic learning time; (3) achievement levels and academic time; (4) clarity of first day organization and planning; (5) time…