Reviews major court decisions on cases involving instructors' rights to teach controversial issues, to choose their teaching style, and to affect the curriculum in such ways as deciding to assign creationist or evolutionary biology textbooks. (Editor/RK)

A language teaching record scheme that is intended to describe second language teaching as it occurs in a variety of teaching settings without reference to global methods is presented. (Author/HP)

The author discusses competency-based teacher education and the disagreements about what "competent" means. Among his examples is the Dilemma of the Ditto: can teachers be "competent" without knowing how to run a ditto machine? This is really a profound question because it represents an entire class of questions. (MF)

Student ratings of classroom social environments were related to absenteeism rates and average final grades. Classes with high absenteeism rates were seen as high in competition and teacher control and low in teacher support. Classes in which teachers gave higher average grades were seen as high in involvement and low in teacher control.…

Using trees, open fields, empty lots, buildings, or whatever is available near the school, students experience the challenge and group spirit associated with wilderness schools. (JD)

This article reports on studies on the phenomena of teaching at the Institute for Research on Teaching at Michigan State University. (JD)

This discussion of research issues centers on the selection of content for language programs for handicapped children and examines whether a normal developmental sequence of language acquisition is appropriate in construction of a language intervention program. Child centered and planned sequence of instruction teaching approaches are contrasted.…

Contends that teaching would be more effective if it became "diagnostic" teaching, that such teaching is not possible unless backed up with an adequate system of record keeping by the teacher, and that, conversely, the establishment by a school of such a record keeping system is likely to encourage diagnostic teaching. (Author/RK)

Routines used by successful teachers during the first days of school that permit efficient instruction were identified according to management, instructional support, and teacher-student exchange. Six expert teachers' classrooms were examined for the routines' role in classroom structure, teachers' similarities and differences, retention of…

Describes a study designed to determine political attitudes and knowledge of prospective and practicing Arizona teachers and to ascertain how this correlates with reported teaching styles. Results indicate the sample was knowledgeable and capable of providing citizenship education, the separate samples differed in teaching style and attitudes, and…

In an interview, two teachers describe and discuss their different classroom use of the same set of instructional materials for "Entre Libre" and compare the results. Activities include role playing, music, and reporting. (MSE)

Provides comparative data on the use of humor, self-disclosure, and narrative by award-winning college and secondary teachers. Indicates that these teachers used these dramatic behaviors to clarify course content, and that they used them significantly more than the nonaward winning teachers from the same educational levels. (MS)

This study identified factors that influenced the decision-making processes of five experienced elementary school teachers. Information about when, why and how teachers choose to intervene in the learning process was gathered. The factors are identified and discussed within the context of preservice teacher education. (JL)

Describing secondary schools as a nineteenth century environment where students are segregated by test scores, this article discusses changes that are necessary in teaching, administration, curriculum, and teacher student relationships in order to have democratic, viable schools. (MT)