A study was designed to develop a comprehensive approach to observing teaching in early childhood settings. A systematic method of observing developmentally appropriate and inappropriate behaviors was sought. The result was a comprehensive model based on Gordon's (1968) conceptualization of instruction. The model proposes that presage variables, such as pupil entering, teacher entering, and demographic characteristics, be investigated with a teacher interview sheet and a teacher belief inventory. Process variables, including teacher and pupil behavior in the setting, organization, and content factors, be studied by means of observations of situated teacher and pupil behavior and other information about the classroom environment; and that data on product variables, such as short- and long-range cognitive and affective effects on students, be gathered through pre-conference contact with teachers. Five categories were included in the systematic observation component of the model: teacher management strategies, children's learning strategies, types of verbal interactions, teacher communication strategies, and affective guidance. To establish the reliability of the instrument, "Dimensions of Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Techniques," two trained graduate students observed tapes and coded behaviors of four teachers and their students. The study instruments are appended. (RH)