An investigation of effects of information processing models on instruction showed that strategy and metacognitive instruction is infrequent in teacher-child interactions; a behavioral paradigm captures most teacher-child interactions; what teachers say and do is discrepant; and content of teacher-child verbal behavior varies minimally between…

This paper examines different types of student learning styles and outlines a four-step process for identifying and integrating these learning styles to provide students with the most effective educational experience possible. The paper lists five dimensions along which most learning styles can be categorized--global-analytical, verbal-imaginal,…

Research on teaching has recently focused on the cognitive aspects of teachers' work, using a variety of verbal report procedures. It is argued that the models implicit in this research frequently underestimate the complexity of teachers' professional thinking and that teachers' verbal report data reveal characteristics of teaching which research…

Teachers'"inflight" decisions were investigated by recording those cues in the classroom to which teachers responded. Through stimulated recall interviews, it was found that the cues teachers noticed and based decisions upon were global and tended to adhere closely to the traditional recitation model of teaching. (Author/JKS)

This study investigated the problem of teacher thinking in interactive class teaching situations. A sample of 21 elementary and middle school teachers in Spain was studied through a multi-method triangulation involving observation, interviews, and daily journals. Verbal protocol from different sources led to the identification of 510 elements that…

This study investigated school effectiveness based on recent British and Australian advances in the understanding of student learning processes in natural settings via students' approaches to learning and their perceptions of teaching. The results were derived from a survey of 745 government school students, 380 Catholic school students, and 365…

This study explored the development and processes of thinking, planning, and decision making of two preservice teachers as they progressed through their teacher education program. The effects of training in the systems approach on two preservice teachers' thinking about instruction and on their actual instructional planning documents were…

This book helps practicing and prospective teachers to: (1) identify the decision patterns that define teaching styles and are common to the teacher-learner situation; (2) identify the specific decisions in each pattern; and (3) define the relationships among the various patterns and understand how to use them in classroom situations. The…

This study investigates the pattern of teacher questioning regarding three elements: sequence, student respondent, and cognitive process. The rationale for this type of teaching rests on the claims for teaching students the process of critical (reflective) thinking. In this type of teaching it is necessary to have data before the students. Only…

Drawing on a recent series of investigations into teacher information processing while teaching, a set of propositions to guide inquiry into the relationship between thought and action in the classroom are advanced. These propositions represent a "pre-theory"--steps toward defining the nature of information processing during teaching and the…

This study investigated how inservice teacher education on teaching thinking skills affected teachers' self-reported thinking behaviors and teaching style, focusing on similarities and differences among teachers in the U.S. and Costa Rica. A group of 28 experienced U.S. public school teachers completed 2 different 5-day training sessions in…

This review summarizes and synthesizes the research literature on teachers' thought processes from about 1970 to 1983. The literature is organized under four major headings: teacher planning, teachers' interactive thoughts and decisions, teachers' attributions, and teachers' implicit theories. The paper also includes a theoretical model of the…

Interactive decision making (IDM) refers to teachers' selection and rejection of alternative courses of action during instruction. Previous research indicates that teachers report making interactive decisions when their plans are disrupted. A study generated hypotheses about teachers' IDM using the grounded theory approach--an inductive system for…

This pamphlet discusses student learning styles and teachers' adaptability to those styles. Section 1 discusses "What Are Learning Styles" by talking generally about cognitive, affective, and physiological aspects of those styles. Section 2's topic is "What Determines Learning Style?". "The Relationship Between Learning Styles and Teaching Styles"…

This paper reports data from a program of research examining how teachers learn the practical, professional knowledge of teaching. Data collection focused on interviews with teachers immediately following a period of classroom observation. Interviews were spaced at monthly intervals when possible. The 15 participants included teachers in training,…