The author briefly analyzes three classes of teacher behavior--skills, strategies, and style--for their effects on teaching as it is learned, practiced, and studied. (CL)

The authors claim that the principal contribution of research on teacher thinking is enrichment of understanding of what teachers know and what teaching entails. Studies of teacher planning, decision making, knowledge, and theorizing can be used to provide prospective teachers with a realistically complex picture of the cognitive aspects of…

Two models for research on teacher thinking are discussed: the decision-making model and the information-processing model. Research on teaching guided by the decision-making model focuses upon explaining and understanding deliberate teacher activity and is deemed more appropriate for situations in which the teacher has sufficient time and…

Two research papers focusing on approaches and methods for discovering cues used by teachers in making judgments in the classroom are presented here. The approaches described in the first paper are: review of empirical and theoretical literature concerning the objects to be judged and the behavior of judges; interview of judges to determine what…

Much of the important thinking that teachers do occurs during the act of teaching as well as in planning and evaluating. What teachers think about while they are teaching was the basic question addressed in this study. A model was drawn to describe the researchers' concepts of the way a teacher thinks while teaching: the teacher begins with a…

Tests of teachers' ability to learn teaching through repeated use of closely defined curriculum indicate that familiarity with content and practice do not necessarily increase effectiveness. (JD)

Using a stimulated recall technique, the reports of cognitive processes during teaching of twelve experienced junior high school teachers were recorded in an experimental setting and analyzed. Reports were related to teachers' cognitive style and ability. (Author/JKS)

An experienced second grade teacher participated in three two-hour planning sessions in which she planned for the course of instruction for the school year in mathematics, science, and writing. The teacher "thought aloud" as she planned, and two researchers present took written notes. In general, her yearly planning was aimed at setting…

Three studies on teacher planning procedures are described and synthesized--a survey, a laboratory study, and a series of case studies. The primary goal of this research was to determine how teachers plan classroom activities, why they plan in certain ways, and what is the relationship between teacher planning and teaching effectiveness. A survey…

Reviews current studies that emphasize teacher thinking processes. (Author/MLF)

The results of this study suggest that student perceptions of teacher behavior can have an important influence on causal relationships in the classroom. (MM)

The thinking processes of teachers as they relate to classroom planning, judgment, decision making, and individual theories or perspectives are examined. On the topic of planning, it is suggested that teachers do not seem to follow the "rational model" prescribed in teacher training and curriculum planning. Rather, planning seemed to begin with…

This exploration of the essential knowledge offered by research on teacher planning is divided into four parts. The first part deals with the kinds of knowledge derived from research on teaching. It is noted that teacher effectiveness researchers have been primarily concerned with producing knowledge about the observable behavior of effective…

Approaches to educational research are grouped into five major categories. The process-product approach correlates teacher behavior with student achievement. Aptitude-treatment-interaction researchers believe that their research will identify instructional methods that are particularly suitable for students with specific aptitudes. Researchers in…

Each of four teachers taught ecology to eight sixth-grade groups. Eight treatments factorially varied two levels of teacher structuring, soliciting, and reacting. Low soliciting yielded higher student achievement. Low structuring and low reacting interacted to yield lower achievement. Retention measures showed similar main and interaction effects.…