The authors discuss the challenges encountered by English-language learners (ELLs) as they attempt to interpret the figurative language of their new cultures. Providing ELL students with explicit instruction in interpreting figurative language--a bridge to reading comprehension--is a significant goal for teachers who design instruction for…

This article explores the use of improvisation (improv) as a lens for viewing and describing teacher-child interactions. The author describes the relationship between the principles of improv and the characteristics of responsive teaching, and how improv can be used as a lens for seeing relational activity. The author hypothesizes that improv…

School reform is achieved through the collaboration and coordination among educators with the mutual goal of improved learning for all students. Given the complexity within and among educational systems, the need to develop and implement a common framework of school reform based upon mutually agreed-upon goals, standards, outcomes, and…

This report summarizes the 2006-2007 evaluation that was focused toward investigating one primary question: What changes in tool-based, student-centered teaching happen as a result of the infusion of technology and professional development? The research methodology involved the use of trained external researchers from Florida EETT schools…

This study examined the effectiveness of self-evaluation, self-observation, and self-observation plus self-recording in reducing disruptive classroom behaviors. The initial study was conducted with seven primary level students divided into the three treatment conditions, and a replication study was conducted with eight intermediate level students…

Through observation of fifth-grade mathematics and social studies classes, this study reveals that subject matter, a variable often overlooked in recent research, has a profound effect on instructional practice. The study analyzes the interrelations among forms of instruction, levels of student involvement, and subject matter. The analysis…

This guide, presented in both the English and French language versions is designed to accompany a 36-minute video illustrating systematic behavioral observation methods. Together, the video and the guide comprise a training module that suggests simple and effective observational methods that will help teachers in Quebec assess students objectively…

This paper discusses how preschool teachers can use observational and portfolio assessment techniques to evaluate both typical and special needs children in inclusive preschool classrooms. Explaining that portfolios can contain teacher observations, checklists of student activities, and samples of student work, it suggests techniques for…

This study examined changes in the social interactions of children with and without disabilities, who were enrolled in inclusive preschool classes. It investigated the frequency of child participation in groups during free play, differences in participation patterns of children with and without disabilities, and ways in which children's patterns…

This paper reports an investigation of a timetabled session in a self-access center with a General English program. Five classes were observed for three weeks to determine how the available time was actually used. Learners' opinions on the purpose and usefulness of the session were also sought. The most frequently observed activity overall was…

This study compared the behaviors of mainstreamed disabled students to those of their normative peers in the same classroom. Observational sessions were conducted in 48 classrooms in 3 rural West Virginia school districts. Data were collected on 71 disabled students in grades 3-7 over a 4-week period, including students with mild mental…

This book offers a generalized way of examining the moral significance of what occurs in classrooms, with a focus on analyzing classroom interactions from a symbolic/expressive point of view. The book's ideas were derived from the Moral Life of Schools Project, a 2-year study that investigated the ways in which moral considerations permeate the…

A conceptual and empirical analysis of findings from the development of a comprehensive classroom-based, direct observational measure of classroom environment is presented in this paper. The System for Teaching and Learning Assessment and Review (STAR) differs from traditional instruments of direct, systematic classroom observation in that it…

This casebook is part of a set of materials written by the members of the Making Thinking Visible Project. It offers high school, college, and community college teachers' multiple perspectives on the teaching and learning of collaborative planning, and on classroom inquiry and practice. The casebook explains collaborative planning (a writing…

A research-based administrative training program prepares principals and mentor teachers to evaluate classroom instruction. Since 1986, nearly 300 principals and teachers have participated in the Techniques of Responsive Intervention to Validate Effective Teaching program (TRIVET), which has been offered as a graduate course and year-long…