For centuries, educators and psychologists have advocated "play" as the ideal activity for the development of young children. Actually, play has been found currently to be the central pedagogy in the learning of young children in 21 countries in the world. However, the quality of play-based pedagogy is becoming a key concern across…

Assuming that learning is an inherently social process, this research explores interpersonal variables that affect teaching. Specifically, does the interpersonal teaching style affect student impressions of the instructor? Eighty-five undergraduates viewed one of three ten-minute videos that portrayed either an authoritarian, authoritative, or…

The use of electronic audience response systems in university teaching is currently increasing rapidly. This paper describes how a consistent use of peer instruction facilitated by an audience response system has been introduced in an introductory engineering dynamics course. Data are presented that reveal that this teaching style leads to an…

This article presents results of a study on a weekend Chinese community school in a mid-Atlantic state that looks at parents' perceptions of the challenges the school faced in teaching Chinese to heritage versus non-heritage learners. Survey and qualitative interviews with parents show differences in their expectations regarding teacher…

Like any good story, the Sufi tale places the listener squarely in the midst of life; that is, precisely where learning takes place. The tale pointed out that learning can be both exhilarating and painful. In college classrooms, teachers (and their students) are spared neither of these emotions when they engage in the learning process. In this…

A framework is suggested for the analysis of teaching, whether for purpose of research, evaluation, or moral inquiry, that is an alternative to the present form of analysis. This form seeks in the analysis of teaching those teacher characteristics that can be established as causally reactive in producing student achievement. Differing…

Examines results of studies conducted at the City Colleges of Chicago's Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning on the characteristics of effective teachers (i.e., organized, student-oriented, encouraging student participation, and providing feedback) and effective students (i.e., involved, motivated, planning-oriented, selective, and…

Three approaches to the study of learning styles are considered. The first approach assumes that a learning style can be identified by the learner himself. A second approach is based upon teacher observation of learners. A third approach goes beyond recognition of style to analyzing a learning task and identifying the appropriate cognitive style.…

The qualities and characteristics of excellent faculty at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) are described in this paper. First, an underlying set of assumptions is presented, stressing that the qualities identified as representative of faculty excellence apply equally to classroom teachers, librarians, counselors, and other non-teaching faculty,…

Many staff development efforts are based on correcting teachers' deficiencies or weaknesses. In this staff improvement model, individual teaching styles and patterns of behavior were identified, so that they could be used in a more professional way. In determining teaching styles, it is pointed out that there is a quantitative aspect and that many…

Analyzes the factors behind children's learning difficulties in mathematics from three kinds of characteristics: characteristics of the child, of the teacher/teaching method, and of the subject. Suggests that perceived underachievement comes mainly from poor self-image, learning style, poor language skills, dyslexic-type difficulties, lack of…

This paper deals with the question of how teacher attitudes emerge as teacher behaviors and the relationships between teacher attitudes toward mathematics, teaching, and students, and teacher behaviors as measured by external observers and pupils. Forty-nine ninth-grade mathematics teachers were the subject of this research. It was observed that…

A study sought to determine to what degree educators are cognizant of principles of learning as applied to the students they teach. Examined were the relationships among: (1) the criterion variable of educators' perception of the degree that their students learn according to selected learning principles and (2) the predictor variables of work…

This speech presents a case for "joining hands" as the educational theme of the 1980s. In "joining hands" with their students, schools need to abandon assembly-line models of instruction in order to adopt learning and teaching styles that nurture students' inner potential and provide for individual differences of both teachers…

This guide for educators who work with discouraged and defeated learners recommends ways to prevent problems and offers approaches to develop positive attitudes. The introduction dispels common fictions about discouraged learners. Part 1, "Profiles of Our Other Youth: Discouraged and Defeated Learners," describes behavioral and life situations,…