A brief description is given of a small school district in which the Mastery Learning approach to instruction has been operative since 1971. This study examined the teacher evaluation records written by the school principals in the District in order to determine the behaviors, attitudes and actions that these school administrators encourage in…

A group of American and Japanese psychologists, anthropologists, linguists, and computer scientists gathered at the University of California, San Diego, to exchange ideas on models of joint problem solving and their special relevance to the design and implementation of computer-based systems of instruction. Much of the discussion focused on…

The effects of instructional interactions on preservice teachers' perceptions of teacher-student roles form their ideals of what teachers and students are supposed to do and, ultimately, what they as teachers will expect and do. The mode of instruction that predominates in the large college class tends to be lecturing, with a minimum amount of…

A conceptual framework of social competence is presented to formulate actions that will enhance the social competence of learners with mental disabilities. This chapter discusses the individual's culturally determined inputs; the processes of social affects, social skills, and social thinking; and the desired social outcomes. The history of social…

Reviewed are studies of attachment, separation anxiety, and caregiver intervention techniques and strategies. Discussion of attachment centers on patterns of attachment and children's behavior in the "strange situation." Discussion of separation anxiety indicates that the phenomenon occurs in many different cultures. Topics covered include: (1)…

An informal study examined the impact of a simple behavior modification procedure on the reading habits of second and fifth grade students. Behavior modification theory was pared down to two rules ("reinforce proper behavior" and "reinforce anything close to proper behavior") so that no additional burdens would be placed on…

Six high school student teachers were video-taped during the first, seventh and fourteenth weeks of their teaching semester. Pupils in these classes evaluated the personal characteristics and instructional behaviors of their student teachers. The Classroom Teacher Inventory was used to solicit pupil ratings of 15 teacher presage characteristics…

An analysis is presented of the Hunter Staff Development Model. Suggestions for improving the implementation of the model are based on a review of the literature pertinent to the Hunter model, and a series of interviews with: (1) teachers and administrators who have received training in the Hunter model; (2) a group of Hunter Staff Development…

This study attempted to determine which combinations of student, teacher, curricular, and task factors characterize effective life science instruction, where effectiveness is defined as the acquisition of scientific literacy. The framework of scientific literacy used includes five teacher behavior components: (1) explaining science content; (2)…

This study investigated which classroom variables are related to changes in students' (N=409) conceptions of the nature of scientific knowledge. Eighteen high school biology teachers/classrooms were compared with respect to students' conceptual changes on six aspects of the nature of science (amoral, creative, tentative, testable, parsimonious,…

Although microteaching has proved to be a valuable training tool for preservice education majors, some microteaching programs have been curtailed primarily because of the time and expense of maintaining the facilities. An abbreviated four-lesson program for microteaching can be conducted effectively with minimum time and moderate costs. The first…

Herbert L. Foster has written a new book about teaching black youngsters in the inner city. A Kappan interviewer extracts some of his success secrets, among them the rules for life-or-death contests. (Editor)

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that important aspects of aesthetic education are neither technical nor abstruse, and that elementary school teachers particularly can develop in children an openness to aesthetic experience. (Author)

The materials included in this booklet are designed for use by participants in Application Sessions A and B for Instructional Personnel in elementary-secondary schools. These materials are initial drafts prepared for field testing only. They are not the final products to be delivered at the completion of the project. The materials are organized…

The second phase of a three-part research and development plan, this study investigated the relationship between teacher performance on the Black English Tests for Teachers (TTBE) and specified sets of teacher behaviors and pupil achievement as measured by curriculum-specific tests in language arts. The study involved 27 teachers from two schools…