Systematic observation of teacher behavior in several classrooms of an informal British infant schools was undertaken in order to determine typical patterns of interaction between teacher and child. Among the major findings reported are the following: 1) a typical pattern of teacher behavior in which extended substantive discussions with one or a group of children are interspersed with very brief exchanges, usually child-initiated and often concerned with organization or management questions with individual children; 2) extended interactions which are dominated by questioning of the child with respect to substantive (academic), personal, and self-management aspects of the task on which he is working; and 3) brief interactions which are heavily child-initiated and play a classroom management as well as an instructional function. On the basis of these data and other reports, informal teaching styles are analyzed for their means of fulfilling critical educational functions. (Author)