Recommendations are presented for dealing with difficult students and the questions they ask during classroom discussions. Brief ideas are provided for handling argumentative individuals, long-winded questioners, and questions for which the instructor does not have a good answer. A discussion of curved or loaded questions (pseudoquestions)…

A methodology for conducting research on managing the disruptive student based on identifying successful teacher strategies is described. The subjects of this study were teachers selected as being outstanding or average in their ability to cope with behavior problems. Data collection included two half-day classroom observations, a structured…

Robert Bloom considers the difficulties faced by teachers of disturbed and disruptive adolescents. He depicts common situations in which the teacher experiences anxiety, is unaware of the personal stress and conflict, and reacts in inappropriate ways. Examples portray such reactions as anger at coworkers, envy of the young, and retreat into…

Recognition of teachers has been a focus of the Diamond Jubilee Year of the National Council of Teachers of English (1985-86), which honors the outstanding teachers of some of the nation's leaders in this collection of testimonials about the influence these teachers have had on their lives. Contributors to the collection are Margaret Walker…

As part of a qualitative study of education reform in four rural Kentucky school districts, this report examines instructional changes that have occurred in the upper primary grades as a result of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Researchers interviewed 13 principals, 37 teachers, and 14 eighth-grade students; observed 73 teachers working…

The study reported in this paper focuses on teacher perceptions of students' affective or noncognitive behavior in the classroom. Elementary school teachers were asked to describe in writing five events or situations involving students that they judged to be fairly typical and that had occurred in their classrooms. The emphasis was upon events…

The 14 articles in this journal issue provide suggestions for making language study interesting. Specific topics discussed in the articles include (1) metaphors, (2) expressing feelings, (3) grammar for speakers of nonstandard English dialects, (4) medical jargon, (5) grammar in the writing process, (6) the rhetoric of teacher comments, (7) slang,…

The authors argue that personnel who select standardized achievement tests have been led to believe that the major achievement test batteries differ very little in terms of the topics they test; but that the content covered by these major tests is different, and that such differences have consequences for instructional content. To test this…

This biannual review of research describes promising research models that are helping all students, including students with disabilities, manage their own behavior in school settings. The common features of school-wide systems of behavioral support are identified and include: (1) total staff commitment to managing behavior; (2) clearly defined and…

The use of short cases (or case scenarios) and a case method of instruction can help teachers and other educators in both preservice and inservice contexts learn ways of implementing curriculum and providing effective instruction for diverse students. This "Fastback" from the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation illustrates such use of the case…

In spring 1994, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) collected information on student achievement in reading, U.S. history, and geography at grades 4, 8, and 12. To provide a context for interpreting NAEP findings, the project collected background information from students, teachers, and school administrators using separate…

The seven articles in this focused journal issue are concerned with choosing books for teaching and the various constraints on those choices. The first article, by Richard Lederer, discusses George Orwell's "1984" and the principles of Newspeak. His article sets the tone for the next two articles: "Beware the Misuse of…

Begun successfully in 1963 as part of the larger Illinois Plan for the Education of Gifted Children, the demonstration center in "Anytown", a small northwestern Illinois community, was phased out after four years of operation. New curricula for grades 7-12 were developed at the University of Illinois for the Anytown and other similar…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles deal with the following topics: (1) teacher training of bilingual teacher aides; (2) teaching strategies for secondary school English teachers; (3) the effectiveness of inservice training that used the publication…

The study reported in this paper builds upon earlier research designed to examine issues associated with initiating an effective teacher evaluation effort and integrating it into district practices. The paper describes four districts which have made substantial progress in initiating and organizing teacher evaluation programs and presents the view…