This paper reports research on differences between teaching in the primary and intermediate grades. Hypotheses concerning differences in teacher behaviors, teacher communications, grouping, teacher control, and types of materials were developed. Six 1st- and 2nd-grade classes and five 4th- and 5th-grade classes were observed for four 45-minute…

One means of making undergraduate instruction more relevant to students' needs and interests has been to use popular media to illustrate concepts in psychology courses. College students (N=54) in a theories of personality course wrote brief essays explaining the behavior of television characters in terms of theories taught in the course. The…

This paper reviews both the content and the methodological issues involved in the small but growing number of empirical studies on the use of Direct Instruction programs and teaching procedures with special populations. The research reviewed includes experimental and quasi-experimental work, summative evaluations of entire programs, and…

A justification for the study of teachers' routines, as they affect the preparation of lesson plans, prefaces this paper on teachers' thought processes during lesson planning. In focusing on the importance of research into teachers' routines, it is pointed out that lesson preparation and classroom routines permit teachers to direct attention to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of student participation and of realistic levels of vagueness terms on student achievement and attitudes. Ninety-six sixth graders from a middle school in Georgia were randomly assigned to one of eight groups defined by possible combinations of two teacher uncertainty conditions, two…

An overview is presented of what research studies have revealed about: instruction in school subjects; general elements of teaching (such as organization and conduct of lessons); prevention and control of misconduct; interpretation of test results; diagnosis of learning difficulties; and the conditions and procedures of learning and development.…

Cooperative learning is a generic classroom technique that requires students to work and talk together about academic material while learning effective interpersonal skills. This packet, prepared in conjunction with the Minnesota School Effectiveness Program, describes the benefits of cooperative learning and defines its critical attributes,…

The text is designed for a course in the application of behavior modification techniques with handicapped children. The first part considers eight elements of the behavioral approach, including describing behavior precisely, recording behavior, arranging consequences, and teaching new behaviors. The second section, a practicum outline, provides…

This paper outlines aspects of the teaching-learning process and the underlying theoretical framework. Techniques of effective teaching are described and analyzed. Selected teacher behaviors and some of the underlying assumptions concerning the teacher-learner interaction are examined. For the purpose of clarity and brevity, the teaching process…

This document examines the differences of cognitive styles and how they pertain to student performance and effective teaching. Persons identified as "field-dependent" people are particularly attuned and differentially attend to the social dimensions of their environment. Due to this orientation, these persons appear to be more skillful at learning…

The Conceptions of Reading project is examining the role of teacher beliefs and predispositions within the classroom, a complex task that has required modification of both conceptualization and research methodology. This paper discusses the original goals of the project, changes that have resulted from the first year of pilot studies, and proposed…

The major findings of this study were as follows: (1) beginning teachers relied on experienced teachers to define for them appropriate standards for student achievement; (2) experienced teachers, in general, were hesitant about offering assistance to beginners for fear of appearing interfering; (3) beginning teachers asked for assistance only when…

The interaction of teacher, learner, content, and instruction is the process of teaching and learning, a single activity. The theoretical and the practical elements of this process are examined in the context of a model that explains the key elements of the process: identification, prescription, application and evaluation. These elements are…

Focusing on managing reading instruction related to the range of differences in the classroom, this paper includes a historical review of managing instruction beginning with examples from the 1800s. It offers a selective review of the literature on managing reading instruction and explores the following: (1) studies of organizational plans such as…

The monograph contains 15 papers (many given at a 1977 Arizona State University conference) on children with severe behavior problems. Among the topics addressed are implementation of P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act; identification of early infantile autism; the effectiveness of behavioral strategies in teaching…