Recommends establishing review processes at both school building and classroom level, and provides checklists for such evaluations. Both together provide a basis for determining the school's handling of equity issues. Also recommends training all school staff with respect to their legal responsibilities. (LHW)

A sociometric instrument assessed the progress of a school system toward integration and provided feedback for teachers. A computer program generated information about classroom social structure, indicating progress in integration in the Springfield public schools. (LHW)

Provides practical suggestions for setting up low-cost programs to help beginning teachers. These include: (a) pairing novices with experienced teachers; (b) giving novices release time to observe experienced teachers in the classroom; and (c) before school starts, holding training sessions and workshops on classroom management for novice…

Discusses a study which examined gender related differences in participation in science activities. Based on interpretive observations and formal interviews, gender related differences in engagement patterns were evident with the high school students. Presents six assertions and provides supporting examples of gender differences. (ML)

The SOBR observation technique was used to observe reading instruction in special education resource room programs for mildly disabled students. Disabled and nondisabled students in regular classrooms were also observed. There were considerable differences in reading instruction across programs and students. The amount of reading instruction was…

Workshops on effective teaching were attended by three groups of junior high school teachers: those who received no extra activities, those who participated in peer observations, and those who received coaching from the trainer. Behavior change and attitudes were assessed. Peer observation appeared to be more effective than coaching in boosting…

Examines teachers' knowledge and understanding of classrooms in terms of interpretation of nonverbal and situational clues. Two sets of videotapes of classroom episodes, one in Hebrew and one in Dutch, were viewed by both Dutch and Israeli teachers in cross-cultural settings. Analysis of responses yielded insights into the two cultures.…

Public library users made judgments about the competence of reference librarians whom they observed in videotaped interviews. Two social factors were varied in the interviews: the gender of the librarian, patron, and observers; and the communication behavior exhibited by the reference librarian toward the patron. Nineteen references are cited.…

Overreliance on test-based assessment of learning disabilities can produce diagnostic results of questionable validity and prove stigmatizing for the child. An instructional-based model focuses on evaluation of the child's response to teaching. Observation and analysis of the student's reaction yeilds results that are more readily translatable…

Describes a field test and results of a new didactic teaching method involving resource-based learning to teach various aspects of mathematics and science (fractions, magnetism, planets) to elementary aged hearing impaired student in Iraq. The dramatic improvements in language for learners is described and implications of the methods are…

Describes outdoor learning experiences in a one-day workshop that introduced teachers, scout leaders, and playground directors to Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS)--a program using games, crafts, simulations, and investigations to sharpen the ecological concepts of children ages 6-16. Includes address for obtaining additional…

Two groups of children who had attended open and traditional classrooms, respectively, for three years were compared. Multivariate analyses of repeated measures showed that open-classroom subjects had higher scores in social problem-solving cognitions, self-esteem, and ego strength. (Author/BW)

Describes activities designed to help students think critically and to accurately process information. (FL)

Observations of four students, from their second through fourth grades, as they evaluated compositions revealed, among other findings, that (1) affective responses tend to dominate quality judgments, (2) the number of criteria children used in arriving at quality judgments increased over time, and (3) evaluation criteria are used in both planning…

An intensive remedial program of teaching skills is used in the Irish College of Education to improve the practical teaching performance of student teachers. A description of this program, which includes students' assessment of the program, is offered. (Author/DF)