An ethnographic study examined three new teaching assistants (TAs) from July 1995 to July 1996 at a state university. Data included observing their classrooms, gathering artifacts, and talking about their experiences to determine what types of training and experiences lead to a successful TA and what elements or characteristics comprise a…

A discussion of whether teaching is a science, an art, or both, and the extent to which it is either and why, is presented in this paper. Teaching-as-a-science (TAS) and teaching-as-an-art (TAA) are not specific teaching methods but rather two different ways to find teaching methods. Whether students learn as a result of the teacher's scientific…

A study examined whether expected behavior from teachers coincides with how women and men really teach their magazine-writing classes. Subjects, 120 of 198 members of the Magazine Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, responded to a 25-item questionnaire concerning their teaching techniques. Results…

Findings of a study that examined whether individual teacher attributes or organizational conditions influence classroom pedagogical practices in southern Africa are presented in this document. Methodology involved observation and administration of a questionnaire to 244 secondary teachers in Botswana. Findings indicate that teacher behaviors in…

The instruction of six teachers in a private school (Benchmark) for bright underachievers that is characterized by a strategic teaching initiative, strong instructional leadership, and collegiality was examined to characterize the nature of instructional dialogue. Lesson transcripts were coded for the presence and organization of eight…

A study of a junior-level grammar class for preservice teachers was conducted by an observer at Miami University of Ohio to determine the effectiveness of a Socratic teaching style that allowed the teacher to do most of the talking. Students in the class also participated in the observation; they were interviewed regularly by the graduate student.…

This resource booklet focuses on the definitions, developmental stages, and the benefits of socio-dramatic play. The booklet deals with the players, shows how adults can support children's play, describes the play environment, and offers some suggestions for development of curriculum based on play. The booklet discusses children's approach to…

A survey of teachers in an elementary school building and a literature review indicated that the causes of the lack of individualizing student learning were related to class size, poor leadership, teacher training, and poorly developed learning style instruments. A practicum was designed for classroom teachers to recognize differential learning…

Examines a teacher's felt responsibility and self rating in regards to their students' performance in mastering concept classification tasks. (DEP)

Suggests that teachers should encourage the children to interact, express themselves and do quality work in their classrooms as hedges against social problems and a mass approach to education. (ED)

A procedure is described for using a visual aid to elicit from a student a relatively elaborate mental image. In the context of that procedure, certain aspects of what happens inside and between people in a language classroom are explored. (Author/RM)

Describes a study which measured perceptions of classroom behavior, both perceived and ideal, of science teachers and students. Using an interaction analysis system to analyze the actual classroom behavior in 33 junior high school science classes, the authors conclude that the teachers perceived their classes to be more inquiry oriented than the…

Discusses conditions and methods that result in receptivity to learning and advocates their incorporation in language teaching. (RM)

Ninety-five children in 28 nursery school classrooms were used to investigate the relationships between teacher facilitative or directive verbal behavior in nursery school classrooms and seven aspects of child language change (receptive vocabulary, vocabulary of use, mean length of response, complexity of sentences, inquiry statements, dramatic…

This report examines a variety of ways that the QUILL program for teaching writing was realized in elementary classrooms. In particular, the report looks at the different ways purposeful writing was achieved using MAILBAG, the electronic mail component of QUILL. The analysis shows that innovations in education should be viewed as objects created…