This article presents a mathematical algorithm that relates student achievement with directly observable, quantifiable teacher and student behaviors, producing a modified form of the Walberg model. The algorithm (1) expands the measurable factors that comprise the quality of instruction in a linear basis of research-based teaching components and…

Using a low-inference observational instrument, the authors empirically described and compared pedagogical behaviors in bilingual and structured English-immersion programs serving Spanish-speaking English language learners in a large urban school district in Southeast Texas. The two programs included both intervention/control of each type during…

Collecting time-on-task data is necessary in order to research methods for increasing student time-on-task and to provide feedback to teachers on what teaching behaviors produce high levels of on-task behaviors in students. A student and a teacher behavior data collection instrument developed for research in the area of academic learning time is…

A description is given of the Classroom Organization and Management Program, designed to help teachers in grades 1-9 and staff developers improve their overall instructional and behavioral management skills through planning, implementing, and maintaining effective classroom practices. It also seeks to improve student task engagement and reduction…

This guide is designed to present a variety of techniques that can be used in conducting classroom observations. Observation techniques are clustered under four major teaching/learning variables: time on task, teacher talk, classroom interaction, and organization and management. Techniques are presented with an overview that details the rationale…

The overall purpose of this project was threefold: (1) to gather task descriptive data concerning engagement rates of students across grade levels, abilities, classrooms, contextual factors, subject areas and task structures; (2) to link various teacher behaviors with student engagement rates, focusing on correlational results between a number of…

Classroom observation of 98 fourth-grade boys was coded to examine the relationships among student behaviors exhibited during class instruction, teacher reinforcement of those behaviors, student ability, and achievement. The strongest causal effects were from student ability measures. Accurate responding by students and teacher reinforcement of…

This study examined the verbal behavior of students and teachers in three learning activities: microcomputer work, group work, and conventional (teacher-directed) instruction. Verbalizations were coded into seven task-related and one non-task-related categories. Variations in verbal interactions during each activity were recorded and are…

Lessons in values development were observed in classes of Dutch students, aged 10-15. A 22-item observation instrument was used to record the amount of classroom time spent on a particular category. Factors which affected students' behavior included nondirective versus directive teaching behavior and certain questioning techniques. (GDC)

Successful implementation of Public Law 94-142 demands that teachers have the skills necessary to plan an objective-based, individualized program. Research supports the use of individualized instruction in mainstreamed physical education classes. The concept of learning time gives teachers a way to evaluate their own teaching and their teaching…

Detroit's Peer Teachers as Mirrors and Monitors Project is intended to validate cost effective methods for increasing Academic Learning Time (ALT) for students in grades one through four. A major problem in this research effort has been the design of valid and reliable measures of the components of ALT. One very important component of ALT is…

This manual describes procedures for collecting data about two classroom elements: (1) teacher-student interactions; and (2) amount and type of student engagement in academic work. Although the system was originally developed from a study of influences on sex-related differences in mathematics, it is designed to be adapted as needed for…

Teachers in this high school "shadowed" selected students to see the school through students' eyes. The teachers noted both strengths and weaknesses. The latter included class interruptions, low expectations of low achievers, and inadequate learning time. (JM)

This study investigated the relationship between behaviors of 10 preservice student teachers completing their student teaching in the area of emotional disturbed/behavior disorders and ratings of their teaching effectiveness by observers. The highest obtained correlation was between the amount of off-task student time observed in the classroom and…

This six-section manual provides information for preparing appropriate classroom narratives and their accompanying student engagement ratings. The manual's introduction emphasizes the importance of an accurate classroom narrative, which is a detailed record of events, time use, and behavior in the classroom. Also discussed is the recording of…