Probably the most direct observation of the Earth's curvature is how objects appear from over the horizon when we approach them and disappear as we get further away from them. Similarly, the portion of a high object (a building or a mountain) that is visible depends on the height of the site where the observation is made. Based upon these very…

This essay presents an account of a whole-school faculty designing and teaching a five-month whole-school curriculum based on an exhibit of modern American art, "In the American Grain," in a public school in the Pacific Northwest, grades 6-12. This account is a case-study of a successful attempt of teachers, students, and administrators at one…

Direct observation plays an important role in the assessment practices of school psychologists and in the development of evidence-based practices in general and special education. The defining psychometric features of direct observation are presented, the contributions to assessment practice reviewed, and a specific proposal is offered for…

There have been deep changes in societies during the last decade. As a result, schools face new challenges, such as avoiding exclusion by promoting inclusion. In this paper we present the findings of our efforts to use collaborative work as a mediation tool in order to achieve more inclusive learning settings. This work starts from the assumption…

This article explores how sequestered novices within a community of practice struggled with their reliance on individual learning resources and identity development. In a year-long study at a child-care center that included methods of participant-observation, interviewing, videotaping, and apprenticeship, five inexperienced child-care teachers,…

Audio- or videotaping and one-way mirrors are often used in clinical supervision. Yet, the effects of audio- or videotaping on supervisees have yielded equivocal results. Some studies suggest that audio- or videotaping increases trainee anxiety and hinders performance, whereas other studies suggest negligible effects. The authors present 2 studies…

I argue in defense of Aristotle's position that contemplation ("theoria") is the proper use of at least some of one's leisure and that, consequently, leisure education must consist in teaching the inclination and capacity for contemplation. However, my position is somewhat more flexible than Aristotle's, in that I allow that there are other…

Acts of dyadic orienting (responses to attention bids by a researcher) and acts of joint attention (e.g. pointing and showing behaviors) were observed in preschool children with autism and children with developmental delay. Children with autism responded to fewer adult vocal and non-vocal attention bids that were made singly and by combining…

Bringing the principles and characteristics of the scholarship of teaching and learning into my university classroom has helped me support the development of teaching as scholarly activity for my students while cementing my own commitment in this regard. These students are preservice teachers, who have the opportunity to conduct peer observations…

This article provides a detailed analysis of the teachers who attended the training for primary education and viewed pre-recorded cassette using Group Observation method. First the paper discusses detailed methodology on group observation and in the second part the findings suggest that for better production of any video programme for training the…

This paper takes as its starting point an examination of the current status of some of the concerns that were raised in the mid-1980s about methodological problems faced by educational researchers using the behavioural approach in schools. These concerns included the measurement of agreement between observers, the interpretation of raw data…

Immigration is having a tremendous impact on U.S. schools, even in places like Dodge City, Kansas, where nearly a third of public school students are from new immigrant families. Ginsberg suggests that through engaging in visits to the homes of recent immigrants, the school community learns of the strengths, expertise, and "funds of…

This article investigates how culture shapes instruction in three early care and education programs on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Interviews with eight early childhood teachers as well as classroom observations were conducted. The investigation is framed by the following research question: How does the culture of the family and community…

Developing a course for online instruction requires content knowledge and understanding of the interactivity, technological requirements, and possibilities in the asynchronous environment. Using a case study method, the researchers investigated the development of an online humanities course by a team of faculty and instructional designers. Data…

The current study compared the effects of video-based reflection versus a memory-based reflection (i.e., no video) on scores for written reflections of preservice teachers who were completing a special education method course. The results of a counterbalanced design show that the use of a videotape was associated with slightly higher mean scores…