This paper is based on a year-long inquiry into the possibility of democratic education in traditional environments. The study was guided by the questions: (1) what are the teacher qualities needed to transcend the structures of schooling to engage in democratic practices?; and (2) how are these practices manifested in the classroom? The…

A study compared teachers' and principals' perceptions of six elements of effective teaching: classroom climate, questioning, set induction, stimulus variation, reinforcement, and closure. The part of the study reported here focuses on elementary teachers' written ratings and rankings of the six elements. The sample for the study was comprised of…

Intended for teachers, the articles in this book examine some of the uncertainties and problems that practicing teachers encountered when moving from a traditional to a holistic perspective in their teaching. The book shares the questions, the conflicts the teachers have undergone, and the change in beliefs that are part of becoming a…

A study examined the classroom communication behaviors adult learners and traditional undergraduate students associate with highly effective and highly ineffective instructors. Subjects, 155 traditional undergraduate students (68 males and 87 females) and 95 adult learners (23 males and 71 males) at a large midwestern university, rated the…

The Science and Mathematics Support Teacher Program (SMSTP) is a collaborative project of the College of Education at Michigan State University, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Toledo Public Schools. The goals of the program are to increase teachers' science and mathematics knowledge, improve instructional practices, and prepare…

This seminar overview presents a summary of widely accepted findings by researchers on the qualities, behaviors, and characteristics of effective teachers. As defined in this paper, an effective teacher is one who can engage students in the learning processes, minimize disruptive behavior, and produce desired learning in a large number of…

A study of the importance of matching students' cognitive style with the teaching style of instructors was undertaken in five high school second-year French classes. Common instructional objectives and materials were used by the classes, in different schools. All students and teachers were given the Group Embedded Figures Test to determine field…

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between early family experiences of student teachers and observed teaching behaviors in preschool settings. A total of 109 students enrolled in teaching practicums at two locations completed a background information questionnaire. Subjects' teaching behaviors were noted by trained…

A set of dimensions for describing teacher discussion style is presented in this paper written in 1963. In the task dimension, teacher style is defined in terms of statement posture (positive or negative assertion), discussion posture (teacher's attitude toward information, e.g., descriptive, analytic), statement types (value judgments or factual…

A description is given of the Descriptive Review Process, a method of analyzing a teacher's personal style in order to promote teacher development and improvement. The process combines teacher self-evaluation with evaluation by an observer and a chairperson. The emphasis of the process is on the teacher. The teacher's role in the process involves:…

Examines the possible effects of four important school variables on the cognitive preference styles of students. The variables are the school environment, the attitude of the teachers toward an inquiry oriented approach, the nature of the curriculum and that of the subject matter. (Author/DEP)

This book helps practicing and prospective teachers to: (1) identify the decision patterns that define teaching styles and are common to the teacher-learner situation; (2) identify the specific decisions in each pattern; and (3) define the relationships among the various patterns and understand how to use them in classroom situations. The…

This descriptive study investigated the reading instruction service provided by Chapter 1 teachers in the Minneapolis Public Schools. Subjects, 105 Chapter 1 teachers who had reading groups, completed a survey concerning the reading instruction given to their Chapter 1 students. A proportional random sampling procedure was used to select 12…

This publication profiles nine secondary school teachers selected as the 1988-89 Laboratory Fellows by the Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast and Islands. The Teacher Recognition Program is conducted by the Small Schools Network of the Laboratory to recognize outstanding teachers of a particular content area or skill.…

A professor of literature recounts and draws on his experiences in the undergraduate English classroom, providing guidance to other teachers through theoretical and anecdotal comments on teaching and learning styles, curriculum, and teaching methods. The first chapter sketches a theoretical framework synthesized from models of learning and…