The major goals of the project reported here were to learn how teachers who are effective managers handle beginning-of-the-year activities and to determine what basic principles of management underlie their teaching. Twenty-seven third-grade teachers in eight elementary schools served as subjects. (MP)

Analyzes a case of a struggling student writer who was not helped by good classroom techniques. Proposes that for educators to help struggling writers, they need to focus on both the student and the activity system within which the student works. Concludes that educators need to take account of: teachers' and children's ideas; organization for…

Outlines steps for involving problem students in discovery-oriented science activities. States that planning is the basis for an effective lesson. (RT)

Discusses the inclusion of rules regarding classroom etiquette in an introductory college sociology course. Reports on rules regarding tardiness, leaving early, absenteeism, paying attention, and/or sleeping in class. Concludes that students and colleagues are generally positive about the approach. (CFR)

Contends that geographers in North America, Australia, continental Europe, and developing nations generally teach larger classes than do British geographers. Asserts that British higher education is being transformed from an elite system to a mass educational system. Presents suggestions for teaching large classes. (CFR)

The efficacy of transition-based teaching trials with a constant time delay procedure and instructive feedback was investigated with preschool students with hearing impairments. Results indicated that constant time delay delivered during transition was effective in acquisition of preacademic skills; all students generalized some shape names; and…

Offers suggestions for teachers who are interested in constructivist principles, but concerned about the classroom management required to accompany creative teaching. Outlines some procedures for achieving this goal. Includes an extensive list of student activities that can assist classroom-management efforts. (MJP)

Five articles describe effective ideas and techniques suggested by correctional educators. In "Warming Up: Mental Exercises for Successful Learning" (Louise Henick), warm-up exercises to help students get ready to learn are discussed, such as daily journals, word of the day, and quote of the day. "Keeping Students Posted" (Richard Johnson) shows…

Cooperative group learning involves organizing students in small heterogeneous groups to work on academic assignments. This paper reports a staff development project to implement cooperative group learning for 417 general education middle school and junior high school students, including 41 special education students. To impart cooperative…

This paper examines the connection between educational policymaking and the organization and functioning of the public schools. First, the authors describe hierarchical levels of educational organization (districts, schools, classrooms, instructional groups, and individual students); consider the linkages between levels; and discuss the…

A laboratory approach to instruction is employed in the basic speech communication course at a southern university. Approximately one-third of the semester is spent on public speaking and performance assignments, while the remainder of the course focuses on interpersonal communication. During the oral performance part of the course, half of the…

A study tested two hypotheses aimed at explaining the "self-fulfilling prophesy" that results when students are divided into ability group systems. The differential instruction hypothesis explains achievement differentials produced by grouping systems in terms of the differential instruction received by students. The peer differentials…

This manual was built around eleven "prescriptions" for the successful management of the elementary school classroom. Each section is prefaced by an advisory statement: (1) "readying the classroom"--classroom space and materials should be ready for the beginning of the school year; (2) "planning rules and…

New and innovative approaches to teaching in elementary schools are often advocated by university teacher education programs but fail to reach the actual classroom. This phenomenon was explored by interviewing graduates from the University of Utah elementary education program. These teachers were required to take two courses designed to prepare…

Investigators wrote proposals for research on the nature and learning of communicative processes in the elementary classroom. Three questions were addressed: (1) What is the nature of communication in the classroom? (2) How do students acquire the rules of classroom discourse? (3) What is the effect of inadequate learning of classroom discourse…