In the introduction to this book, a classroom situation is described in which the story of Hansel and Gretel was challenged. He uses it to describe an educational reform effort undertaken by the Lakeview School in British Columbia, Canada, and shows how the school changed from within. The book documents the struggle of the teachers and the…

This paper assesses how French and English elementary school teachers have responded to broad, radical educational policy changes affecting individual teachers and schools. The paper uses findings from two linked studies, the Primary Assessment Curriculum and Experience (PACE) project in England and the Primary Teachers and Policy Change (STEP)…

An experienced teacher evaluator and university supervisor for student teachers has developed a list of 12 things to look for in evaluating a teacher. With the attitude that evaluation is to improve teaching, not to judge teachers, the evaluator has completed 140 Career Ladder evaluations and 44 student teaching evaluations. The twelve points he…

A study examined the language and interactions that occurred in classes where teachers felt they were providing an environment that fostered reasoning about their coursework. The discourse within the diverse classrooms of eight high school teachers (two each in American literature, American history, biology, and physics) was examined. In each…

Female instructors and female teaching assistants are still struggling to receive recognition as men's equals in academic circles. Although many obvious barriers have fallen, more base and personal forms of discrimination and harassment still exist. Women are trivialized in the professional system and are devalued by the administration. Students…

First published in 1985, this revised edition focuses on diversity in education, exploring differences in style to help educators better fulfill their responsibilities and assist people in realizing their potential. Among the new chapters are a discussion of the importance of knowledge about students' culture, learning styles in light of recent…

Four components have made particular teachers what they are. First, they have found that students respond best when given positive encouragement. Recent research suggests that an invitational school, where encouragement is the norm, is far more productive than a school that does not invite students to learn. The second component is the teacher's…

A study investigated the styles teachers exhibit while interacting with children in literacy-enriched play settings, whether teachers switch between several different styles, and how different play interaction styles affect children's play behaviors. Subjects, seven 4-year-olds enrolled in a university laboratory preschool class, a lead teacher,…

Thirty postsecondary vocational technical instructors from five community colleges in Virginia were observed using the Flanders Interaction Analysis System for 30 minutes to detect their use of three of four behaviors determined to be enabling to learners. The additional enabling behavior of modeling was determined through 15 minutes of passive…

Because interaction is the only observable information people have about teaching processes, it follows that the primary aspect of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) is interaction, and that future work on domains or student models should be driven by the needs identified in the study of interaction. This paper begins by examining the idea of…

This publication was developed to help teachers expand their choices for teacher-student instructional interaction. It identifies the key issues in the design of instruction and develops a common vocabulary surrounding instructional improvement. The role of the teacher as decision maker is emphasized. A description is given of the four interacting…

This pilot study explored teacher characteristics as they influenced the use of "Exploring Nepal," a cognitive learning-based interactive video system for middle school students. Specifically, the study sought to narrow down a variety of teacher characteristics that may influence the quality of their interaction with the videodisk. The…

In this study interactive teaching of two math teachers at elementary schools in Spain was observed. Focus was on the description of the principles of the practice which guide the teaching activities of the subjects, because it was felt these principles form the base of teachers' theories with respect to the teaching and the students. During a…

Based on the assumption that teaching behavior is influenced or determined by teachers' theories and beliefs of teaching, this study sought to examine how middle school science teachers perceive their instructional roles and how they go about improving their instructional effectiveness. Eleven teachers from two middle schools of the Midwest…

An expert reading instruction teacher was studied for one academic year to explore his interactive decision making processes. Previous lines of research have indicated that, for some teachers, interactive decision making involves more than simply maintaining established routines that assure smooth activity flow and involves deviating from the…