Principals must understand what is required at each stage of reading development before they can judge instructional effectiveness. Reading instruction that moves both at-risk and well-prepared children forward on the literary continuum will differ, especially in initial stages. Shows principals what to look for at six grade levels. Children's…

Naturalistic observations were made of children in grades one through six on school playgrounds. Observers coded interactive behaviors, affective valence, and play states. Aggressive children displayed more verbal and physical aggression, antisocial behaviors, and interaction than did nonaggressive children. Peers made similar initiations to the…

Reports on a peer assistance program for principals involving training, observation (via shadowing), and feedback. The sample involved nine pairs of Australian principals matched by age, experience, and school size. Reports generally positive findings regarding principals' overall ratings, claimed benefits and limitations, perceived value of…

Examines relationships among observer, teacher, and student perceptions of what was occurring in 9th grade science classrooms to better understand the inter-relationships between the different perspectives. Shows that students and teachers view their classes differently, although the factor structures had some similarity. Also concludes that…

The structure of art as a symbol system is composed of three dimensions: observer, process, and product. Each dimension is described, discussed, and its application to art therapy illustrated through the case study of a 12-year-old boy suffering from a progressive neurological disorder. (LSR)

Shares the experiences of a researcher engaged in qualitative research. Looks at researcher sensitivity and flexibility, ethical dilemmas, and the importance of a good "research alliance" with participants. Discusses, the implications of including participants as collaborators and the role of co-researchers. Emphasizes the impact of…

Provides a brief overview of the literacy assessment procedures and processes many teachers are now using to gather information about what their young students know and can do. Describes techniques for gathering information about young children's literacy development, and notes its usefulness to teachers. (SR)

Discusses trends in teacher evaluation, including classroom observations, peer coaching, portfolios, self-evaluation, artifacts collection, and action research. Discusses the steps of action research. (RS)

This article discusses the increased emphasis on providing early intervention services within natural environments and how to maximize natural learning opportunities by using everyday activities that children experience and embedding intervention in daily routines. Guidelines for deciding the frequency of services, changing services, and the level…

Discusses level 3 evaluation from Donald Kirkpatrick's Four Level Evaluation Model (level: 1-reaction; 2-learning; 3-behavior; 4-results) to measure training program performance. Highlights include an evaluation planning matrix; increasing evaluation data accuracy and reliability; data collection method selection; designing data collection…

Discusses the importance of observation in science education, how to foster students' observation skills in the classroom, and how to facilitate what they observe when learning. Includes a list of components of good scientific observing. (KHR)

Studied the effects of videocase construction on pre-service teachers' observations of teaching with 31 students in the technology-supported condition and 31 in traditional classroom observation conditions. Results show that technology-supported students outperformed comparisons on video tests of ability to identify, interpret, and analyze…

To determine how Dutch teachers framed observation, this study analyzed teachers' stories about teaching diverse learners, examining what they said about observing students. Results indicated that observation was embedded in the action of teaching, and teachers could not separate themselves from what they observed. An alternative view of…

Co-Ob coaching combines the proven effectiveness of cooperative and observational learning. It involves an intensive observation effort in 6 different classroom settings by a team of from 2 to 25 administrators, supervisors, and coaches seeking to develop or extend their coaching skills. (MLF)