For the past 2 1/2 years, the current population of undergraduate preservice teachers have persisted in their education programs despite unimaginable obstacles. As students, they moved in and out of remote instruction, often taking practicum and student teaching courses without access to in-person K-12 classrooms. At the start of the 2021 academic…

Research shows that half of all teachers working in urban school settings leave the profession within five years, and many who choose to leave are the ones who are most effective (Coggins & Diffenbaugh, 2013.) Manual Rounds, a structured peer observation process based on the established practice of instructional rounds, was implemented at…

Herman the Ermine's teaching methods are closely aligned to an ancient Chinese verse from the Book of Tao. According to author Law Tsu, "Teachers who teach best teach with no words." (Author)

Describes and illustrates how to make and use portable, lightweight tree stands for use as nature observation platforms. Offers conservation and safety precautions. (NEC)

Discusses certain teachers' rejection of prepackaged curricula for infusion of critical thinking skills into their teaching. Observational learning develops thinking skills and deepens understanding of causality and responsibility, whether the context is the Battle of Lexington or Chicken Little's dilemma. Strong administrative support is needed…

Discusses methods for encouraging advanced language students to learn on their own. Successful learning results from the high stimulation and continuous activity of conscious and unconscious observation. If the learner is enabled to observe consciously outside the classroom, he will do it unconsciously and learning will be constant. (PJM)

Observational learning is theoretically conceptualized as a skill that can be developed along a learning hierarchy from acquisition and fluency development to generalization of imitative behavior. This review characterizes these levels of observational learning and details differential teaching strategies that have been attempted at each level…

Reports the results of a study which investigated the effect of training on pre-service teachers' ability to recognize and reward appropriate student behavior during music instruction. Concludes that the training provided was effective. (RKM)

This review identifies five themes of child language intervention: (1) development of augmentative and alternative communication systems; (2) provision of language stimulation to take advantage of observational learning; (3) teaching of various language functions; (4) teaching of language as a means of environmental and self-control; and (5) study…

Discusses spiders for classroom use: collecting methods, types, classroom habitats, behavior, and food. (MH)

Try to learn all you can about a plant in the winter. As the season changes, you can see what the dried seed pod is like in bloom. You are a convert if you notice a spectacular show of summer wildflowers and wonder what sort of winter weed will result. (Author/CM)

The school counselor functions as a therapeutic model in many diverse roles. Modeling strategies include semantic modeling, self-disclosure, power in modeling, role reversal, and field modeling. Counselors must present an image of confidence and competence to their clients. (JAC)

Two experiments investigated whether six individuals (ages 7-64) with developmental disabilities or autism would demonstrate stimulus classes after observing another individual demonstrate the prerequisite conditional discriminations. Results found that stimulus class technology, coupled with observation, may be an economical and efficient means…

Twelve proficient peer models without disabilities demonstrated a response chain for a targeted learning task each day and described the steps to three classmates with developmental disabilities, who observed. The peer models performed the response chains accurately and quickly and the students with disabilities acquired the response chains. (DB)

Presented are examples of academic, social, daily living, and motor skills that might be targeted for observational instruction for students with handicaps. At each of three phases of development (acquisition level, fluency level, and generalization level), suggestions are offered on choosing what to teach and deciding how to teach. (JDD)