Reports a study of British teachers' and students' perceptions of effective teaching and learning. Researchers observed and interviewed 13 teachers and 235 students (ages 11-12 years) and found considerable agreement about what constituted effective teaching and learning. Both groups believed learning opportunities were heightened by the use of…

This study documented the teaching practices of 2 exemplary biology teachers of grades 11 and 12 by means of an interpretive research methodology. Teaching practices are identified that may be considered exemplary and worthy of attention and analysis by other science teachers and science teacher educators. (PR)

Discusses various factors involved in planning and implementing an introductory computer science course in an Indian secondary school located in Bahrain. Topics discussed include computer literacy; selection criteria for microcomputers; funding; computer laboratories; teacher training; criteria for student selection; students' viewpoints; teaching…

Finds that female students rated female faculty especially high across five teaching dimensions and male faculty comparatively lower, whereas male students did not evaluate male and female professors as significantly different. Finds that assessments of faculty were further influenced by the strength of students' gender schema and that gender…

Observations of 12 immigrant Latino mother-child dyads performing school-like and home-like tasks revealed that in the home-like task, mothers purposefully scaffolded learning, adjusted their scaffolding to variation in task, demonstrated a greater range and variety of scaffolding strategies, and accomplished scaffolding goals based on their…

This study reports on teaching practices in science classrooms of Indonesian lower secondary schools in rural areas. Using six schools from three districts in the province of Kalimantan Selatan as the sample, this study found that most teaching practices in science classrooms in rural schools were teacher-centred with students copying notes.…

We carried out an experiment to determine whether student learning gains in a large, traditionally taught, upper-division lecture course in developmental biology could be increased by partially changing to a more interactive classroom format. In two successive semesters, we presented the same course syllabus using different teaching styles: in…

High school principals are seeing increasing numbers of their graduates go to college. Nearly three out of four new high school graduates are continuing on to postsecondary education within two years of leaving high school. However, too many of those students do not finish college. Although high schools have worked hard to increase the numbers of…

In this article, the authors discuss three reform strategies designed to produce educational equity. The first strategy, heterogeneous grouping, does away with the controversial practice of placing students in different tracks based on their ability, which can polarize the student population into pro- and anti-school camps, create a "caste system"…

Research has revealed that students' alertness and attentiveness are affected by time of day preferences. A review of relevant literature indicated that preferences are significant in predicting performance levels for school children, and that matching students with peak times is not only beneficial for academic subjects, but also influences…

This study examined how one elementary school physical education teacher in Chicago (Illinois) influenced the status and perception of physical education and established an important niche for herself within the school community. The teacher's use of strict ritual and routine in structuring classes, as well as her formal, serious demeanor…

This study explored the teaching practices and attitudes toward history of two fifth-grade teachers who taught their students about the American Revolution in 6-week units. Using case study, interviewing, observations, and student attitudes assessments, the study examined how the fifth graders reconstructed elements of the American Revolution…

"School Stories" is a weekly television series presenting the real life stories of people successfully solving the problems faced by today's students. Each of the eight programs in the series focuses on a particular example: (1) "Connecting with Kids" profiles two veteran teachers and their differing approaches to connecting with their students;…

In the inclusion style of teaching, learners must make decisions about level of task difficulty. They must decide at which level to enter the presented task and then, for additional sets of trials, decide whether to perform the task the same way, make it more difficult, or make it less difficult. This study examined learner decision making in a…

This paper describes the reactions of graduate secondary school student teachers to an experiment which required them to evaluate specified techniques and theories of teaching and learning as part of their classroom practice. The aim of the experiment was to: (1) improve the quality of their judgments about pupils; (2) acquire variety in teaching…