In this article, the author discusses a project involving the observation of 12 teachers in different schools, teaching pupils at Key Stage 3 of differing ages and abilities, noting both questioning techniques used and pupils' responses. The teachers involved were volunteers, chosen to give a range of experience, styles, and school, and included a…

Students' established conclusions about the world can often hinder a teacher's efforts to suggest new ideas and new ways to pursue alternative explanations. Flexible thinking helps students practice the value that one's present conclusions should remain tentative and subject to re-evaluation. Meinig's ten alternative perspectives for seeing a…

This article reports an empirical study of classroom observation of two general English lessons that examined the effects of teachers' referential questions on learners' responses in two ESL classrooms. The study found that in both classes, the teachers asked many more referential questions than display questions, contrary to earlier findings.…

This paper gives an overview of the situation of home education in Germany. The first results from a predominantly qualitative research project are presented. This combines participant observation, content analysis and qualitative interviews for a thorough sociological analysis of the German home education movement. Compulsory school attendance…

The application range of Cohen's Kappa is extended to the field of sequential observation data, where omission mistakes of an observer may often occur. It is shown how the omission mistakes can be incorporated into the calculation of the Kappa coefficient without violating the statistic it is based on. The enhanced coefficient is termed Kappa…

This study investigated the practice of an expert reading coach as she provided lesson observation and feedback to an experienced kindergarten teacher. Data sources for the study included three cycles of observation of coaching sessions and guided reading instruction, as well as interviews. The report describes (a) the coach's modeling of…

This paper reviews New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's education reform agenda, "Children first", in the light of organizational theory. I argue that this reform agenda reflects both coercive and mimetic isomorphism, as Bloomberg uses mayoral control to apply business concepts and practices to New York City's public school system.…

Videoconferencing is not a new technology and it has been widely used in educational settings since the mid-1980s. Videoconferencing has evolved into the integration of personal computers to what is now referred to as Web conferencing. In the mid-1990s, Internet Protocol (IP) was introduced into the mainstream but the educational community has…

Evaluation of teaching remains an inaccurate undertaking. Many believe that taking into factor the numbers of classes taught, students taught, graduate students supervised, honors contacts made, and undergraduates mentored are the best quantifiable measures for teaching. However, this author argues that such measures do little to provide a useful…

In situations where it is not possible for trainees to practice teaching in local schools, teaching short lessons to their peers--called microteaching--can provide beneficial experience and feedback to teachers-in-training. The article includes guidelines for presenters, observers, and teacher trainers as well as a sample practicum class schedule…

This study investigated student engagement in class discussions in a university-level, literature-based writing class. The research questions were 1) Does multiple-source learning provide a new lens for the observation of reflective teaching and learning practices? 2) Is there evidence that shows that the practices adopted by one teacher actually…

Despite hopes and claims about benefits of computer-assisted language learning, few studies have documented actual cases about how American students learn elementary Chinese in a computer-equipped classroom. This paper deals with how to use computer as an educational tool to develop American students' Chinese language skills. The theoretical…

The current study used three data sources to estimate time requirements for different item types on the now current SAT Reasoning Test™. First, we estimated times from a computer-adaptive version of the SAT® (SAT CAT) that automatically recorded item times. Second, we observed students as they answered SAT questions under strict time limits and…

This qualitative case study of an exceptional school in the south of England challenges the hypothesis that transformational leaders significantly impact on student outcomes. Interviews with staff and students, together with classroom observation, confirm that the head, appointed in 1995, has played an important role in transforming internal…

Assessment for learning is any assessment for which the first priority is the promotion of pupils' learning. The purpose of this current study was to explore the extent to which science teachers use assessment for learning when they teach biology in secondary classes. A year-long study with nine secondary science teachers in four schools in the…