Establishing positive classroom expectations, or norms, that reflect the shared values of a classroom community (i.e., educators, students, families) is an important step toward creating a positive teaching and learning environment. This brief provides guidance for creating and using a classroom teaching matrix to explicitly identify, define, and…

Argues that children's responses to the literature in their classroom need not always be formal and structured and that spontaneous, informal responses are equally meaningful. (DF)

This collection of materials is designed to assist elementary school teachers in understanding and exploring the experiential world of the elementary school student by describing what students are like and examining their perceptions of settings, events, and other school members. The following concepts are addressed: (1) cognitive abilities of…

A problem-solving strategy for dealing with disruptive student behavior in the college classroom is outlined. It uses a series of questions designed to provide perspective on the problem and aid in generating responses. Steps include clarifying the problem, identifying critical elements, describing context, analyzing emotional and behavioral…

This ERIC digest focuses on students who are commonly described as shy (inhibited, lacking in confidence, socially anxious) or withdrawn (unresponsive, uncommunicative, or daydreaming). Symptoms of shyness or withdrawal may appear as part of the student's overall personality or as a situation-specific response to a particular stress factor.…