A study is reported which involved elementary school teachers being exposed to a new teaching approach, practicing the approach by way of in-service opportunities, and then studying the effects on their own class. (MN)

A description of a teacher designed classroom research project which focused on individual and group responses to open and closed teaching techniques. The article encourages teachers to develop and use classroom research to enhance their teaching skills. (BD)

The impress method, an oral reading technique in which the child and the teacher read aloud simultaneously, is a simple and effective method for improving the reading skills of students reading at below-grade levels. (MB)

Results of classroom research are reported which analyzed the spelling errors of 60 low-achieving students (ages 9-11), as well as lists of words students indicated they wanted to learn. These and other investigations were used to develop a computer-presented precision spelling program, whose features are described in detail. (JW)

Explores the different perspectives classroom teachers and researchers bring to any collaboration, noting that the relationship between the two should be symbiotic and that the problems of practice should inform the questions that researchers ask, while the issues addressed in research should help teachers obtain a clearer perspective on teaching.…

Proposes that communicative language teaching must be evaluated in light of second language acquisition theory and research. Argues that without this critical perspective, communicative language teaching runs the risk of being no better than the traditional methods it was intended to replace. (SR)

Bureaucratic controls are at war with educational goals in our school system. This disharmony drastically affects the teacher/student relationship. The first in a three-part series, this article summarizes complex ethnographic data from the report "Contradictions of Control: School Structure and School Knowledge." Includes 6 references. (MD)

Involving student teachers in their own self-assessment through an action research project can improve their effectiveness. A twelve-step process is used to illustrate a thoroughly done research project. (MT)

The author visited an elementary school in the Netherlands and found that enthusiasm for learning, patience with children's progress, spontaneity in response to children's interest, and the use of drama are recurring patterns in the classrooms of preschoolers. (Author/LHW)

Provides a summary and analysis of the content of "Readings on Interaction in the Classroom" (Delamont, 1984). Concludes that this book makes an important contribution by bridging the gap between social scientists and educational practitioners. (JDH)

The authors review some of the constructs provided by recent classroom language studies. By employing constructs from these studies to describe part of a classroom lesson, the authors illustrate one way to explore how classrooms work. They then list some cautions and recommendations about the use of classroom research for making policy decisions.…

The natural rates of teacher approval of appropriate student behavior and off-task student behavior were determined in middle school classrooms. Mean rates of teacher approval were found to exceed rates of disapproval. Inappropriate approval also appeared to be a relevant factor in managing classroom behavior. (Author/ DWH)

Describes the author's experiences as a researcher working with a second grade teacher to implement change in the literacy curriculum, arguing that educational researchers need to engage in collaborative pedagogy with classroom teachers to develop a "theory of use." (HTH)

Attention disorders and learning disabilities were investigated through time sampling in 16 classrooms for the educationally handicapped. When attending behavior was compared with discrepancy between obtained and expected achievement, a relationship confirming the importance of attention in the development of learning disorders was discovered.…

Discusses the Teaching Act Model and the very complex set of contexts that determines why each teacher does what she or he does and that makes the appropriateness and effectiveness of those decisions not completely determinable by observation alone. (HTH)