The influence on learning of classroom climate in Indian schools is discussed, with attention directed toward such factors as teacher-student relationships, discussion methods, teaching style, peer relationships, and general psychological atmosphere. (LBH)

Two studies are discussed which represent alternate hypotheses pertaining to classroom seating position and its relationship to grade in the course. The experiment described here attempts to disentangle the environmental and self-selection explanations for the two previous studies. (SA)

Discusses classroom structure, focusing on ways of structuring a space to a given end; different ways of structuring time to specific ends; and the kinds of relationships among the children and between the teacher and the children which the teacher may attempt to set up. (JM)

A student interview was administered to second grade students to determine how accurately they perceived their class environment. Three areas investigated were differential treatment of students by the teacher, the organization and management of the classroom, and students' self-rated ability. Ethnographic reports, teacher interviews and student…

Presents ethnographic data drawn from observation of three elementary school classes in Kiryah, a development town in Israel. Determines that pupils' classroom seating expresses teachers' behavior patterns, which are said to derive from external social and professional frames of reference. (KH)

High school teaching practices have resisted change since 1900 and remain essentially teacher centered. This stability may be explained by: (1) the deterministic influence of classroom organizational structures; (2) innate conservatism in teaching; (3) teachers' enduring beliefs about educational goals; and (4) society's economic structure which…

Collaborative learning, in which students form small groups to analyze their own writing, can cause students who recognize good writing and know the "rules" to reexamine their own writing and writing processes and then produce an acceptable product. Given eight sample paragraphs from their own writing, 20 freshman students working in 5…

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)

In a small secondary school in rural Georgia, this study sought to identify sample classrooms perceived by students and teachers as varying substantially in environmental robustness and to observe these classrooms to describe and contrast their structural features. Identified characteristics of high- and low-robustness classrooms are listed and…

A positive, preventive approach to discipline in the classroom is emphasized in this handbook of practical ideas for class management. Suggestions are made on the following topics: (1) handling the first day of school; (2) the physical environment of the classroom; (3) management routines; (4) teaching techniques; (5) motivating students; (6)…

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…

The ecological theory of teaching views the classroom as a unit within which social and psychological interactions determine the learning patterns that will take place. Three fourth-grade classrooms were observed to test and clarify this theory. A description is given of the characteristics of the pupils in each class, the teacher's instructional…

To explore the noncognitive impact of teachers on their students, a review of teacher behaviors and interpersonal variables influencing teaching effectiveness is presented. Four pupil traits are explored--sex, social class, achievement level, and classroom seating--which relate to discrepancies in the frequency and quality of teacher behavior.…

The debate about appropriate student-teacher authority relations in schools has persisted at least since the movement for "progressive education" in the 1920's, and it is reflected today in the debate between "open" education programs and "traditional" education programs. This paper, based on data from 7,361 students in elementary and secondary…

Undertaken to better understand Mexican American and Anglo students' perceptions of their school experience, the study sampled 30 classes in a 462-student junior high school with a 50/46% Hispanic/Anglo racial/ethnic composition and 46 classes in a 696-student high school with a 42/53% Hispanic/Anglo composition. Each student in the sampled…