The quality of student-teacher interactions is shaped by both the capacity of the teacher to cultivate trusting relationships with students and his or her ability to establish a safe, supportive classroom environment. This proves especially important for individuals teaching in multicultural and urban education settings. In recent literature,…

"Understanding the HighScope Approach" is a much needed source of information for those wishing to extend and consolidate their understanding of the HighScope Approach. It will enable the reader to analyse the essential elements of the HighScope Approach to early childhood and its relationship to quality early years practice. Exploring…

The paper represents a study of students' experience of interactivity in distance education programmes at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). Through surveys and focus groups with students, facilitators, and administrative support staff, we found out that interactivity is a key determinant of student success rate. Majority of the…

Online teaching is a complex professional practice. In addition to their content knowledge and pedagogical skill, online teachers must be qualified in methods of teaching the content online and have experience in online learning. This document examines some of the aspects of online teaching, specifically those related to communication and…

The three undergraduate schools of Columbia University work together to plan and finance free excursions with students, hosted by faculty and administrators, in and around New York City. An evaluation indicates that, although the program does not generate substantial student-faculty interaction, it is well received by students and faculty, for…

Educational process reflection (EPR) is a professional development model aimed at supporting preschool teachers reflecting on and changing their practice. A particular focus is on interaction between practitioners and children, and between the children themselves. In this article, I first describe the theoretical frameworks that helped shape EPR,…

In this article the authors describe the programmed and scripted nature of many mandated instructional and "management" programs designed to raise test scores of urban children in low-income communities. They detail the programs' dehumanizing effect on the ways teachers and students interact, and the resentment the programs instill in…

This paper summarizes the results of a proposal written for an undergraduate fellowship program involving peer-tutoring. The program was established to provide tutor-fellows for students experiencing difficulties in their college curriculum. Inclass participation of the tutor allowed for closer classroom observation of student behavior and…

A program to instruct preschool teachers in a technique of interaction analysis is presented, and initial outcomes of the program are evaluated. (DB)

For purposes of analysis, preschool language programs can be sorted into four general categories according to the dominant type of learning activity (1) Pattern practice, (2) Cognitive verbalization, (3) Discussion, (4) Role play. Along with definitions of language, the program types differ in the kinds of interactions which occur between teacher…

Discusses the benefits of faculty participation in student residential life. Based on the example of Northwestern University, faculty involvement programs are described including residential colleges, advisor programs, and ad hoc programs. Strategies for implementation and involving students and teachers are suggested. (JAC)

The inservice learning module described here covers the principles and processes of classroom interaction and the effect of teacher behavior on student learning. The intent of the module is to illustrate, through examples of actual classroom practice, concepts and principles of positive teacher student interaction. Information is provided in this…

The learning module described is for the use of inservice teachers interested in a study of the process of inquiry. It is designed for a workshop-sized group of teachers at the secondary school level but may be adapted for teachers in the middle school. The topics addressed in this product relate to the process of inquiry and include questioning…