Presents brief reviews, in roundtable discussion form, of seven professional books relating to the theme "being a progressive educator in conservative times" and spanning many topics encompassing how learning and different teaching styles and attitudes can influence what happens in and out of the classroom. (SR)

Recommends school music departments forming video clubs where teachers can view and constructively criticize videotapes of their classroom performance. Provides a thoughtful and thorough discussion of what to include in a video portfolio and how to conduct viewing sessions. Addresses possible limitations and advantages to this system. (MJP)

Results from a study of at-risk boys in a summer camp suggest that critical thinking can be fostered effectively in an instructional framework that emphasizes teacher modeling, an indirect approach to instruction, group collaboration, and strategy facilitation. The study examined changes in critical- thinking scores, as well as teacher and student…

A teacher at a northern Ontario adult Native literacy program describes how she cultivates student motivation. The teacher-student relationship is the most influential factor for motivating students. By focusing on cultural awareness, cultural teaching practices, and a sense of community, teachers can help students be successful. Program…

Shares how one teacher and her class of seventh graders learned to share and discuss literature through the notions of stances and instructional scaffolding. (MG)

The article presents an instrument to help identify teachers' current teaching styles to encourage teachers to utilize teaching styles responsive to individual students' learning styles. The inventory assesses instructional planning; teaching methods; teaching environment (student groupings, room design, and learning environment); and evaluation…

Explored teachers' use of symbolic play as a medium for early literacy development and the ways in which teachers facilitate early literacy development by functioning as participants in young children's spontaneous symbolic play. Results showed that teachers demonstrated extending and redirecting interaction styles to different degrees. (BB)

This article defines two approaches to pupil control--custodial and humanistic--and reports results of an investigation of the relationship between teacher control ideology and behavior and their influence on quality of life for students. Subjects were 239 elementary and secondary teachers and their students from 5 school districts. (IAH)

A teacher's work is compared to Claude Levi-Strauss's concept of "bricolage." A "bricoleur" is a professional do-it-yourself person, falling somewhere between an odd-job person and a craftsperson. The concept helps to explain pedagogical inadequacy by linking inherent limiting features of teachers' work and some causal…

Examines second-grade teachers' responses to students' answers in the questioning phase of reading lessons. Identifies eight response types: the null rejoinder; explicit evaluation; repetition of student's response; elaboration; and combinations of the last three types. Finds negligible differences among teachers' responses to readers of varying…

Examines the theories of Howard Gardner and Rudolf Laban as frameworks for exploring issues of creativity and dance education. Asserts that Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences and Laban's language for movement description provide a language for discussing creativity in dance. (CFR)

Forty-five Canadian Native teachers (Cree, Inuit, and Mohawk) completed the Canfield Instructional Styles Inventory and Teaching Styles Instrument. Results show that these teachers share instructional preferences that differ from those of mainstream teachers. Furthermore, there were differences among Native groups, particularly in overall typology…

Analyzes the factors behind children's learning difficulties in mathematics from three kinds of characteristics: characteristics of the child, of the teacher/teaching method, and of the subject. Suggests that perceived underachievement comes mainly from poor self-image, learning style, poor language skills, dyslexic-type difficulties, lack of…

A case study of an elementary teacher who received preservice preparation at a small liberal arts college assessed teaching effectiveness and its relationship to liberal arts curriculum goals. Qualitative and quantifiable data supported the value of preservice programs at similar institutions and provided evidence of the teacher's inquiring,…

Reports a study that investigated how kindergarten children view participation in physical education. Four students of varying skill levels were observed, interviewed, and videotaped. The students demonstrated a relentless persistence for play, which conflicted with the teacher's zone of acceptable responses. Children preferred tasks presented in…