In this study, the author used a multiple baseline design to evaluate the effects of a structured intervention on the engagement and initiations of 3 children identified as at-risk for school difficulty. The intervention had two phases. During intervention (Phase 1) the students received 9 15-min instructional sessions. The intervention had 3…

Two studies were conducted to compare experimentally the effects of teacher-led instruction and seatwork on acquiring mathematical concepts. In the first study, 255 fourth graders were assigned to groups to be taught a 15-minute teacher-led lesson only, a 15-minute lesson plus 12 minutes of teacher-led follow-up, or a 15-minute lesson plus 12…

During the 1982-83 school year the Austin Independent School District implemented a successful bilingual preschool project. However, class A was more successful than class B in terms of results on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. To understand what factors may have led to greater effectiveness, data were gathered from the two classes…

This study evaluated the effect of a comprehensive training program for teachers based on Madeline Hunter's Instructional Theory Into Practice (ITIP). To examine the question of implementation, teachers in the first through fourth grades in Napa Valley elementary schools were observed teaching two reading and two mathematics classes before and…

Developers of high stakes criterion-referenced tests are urged to formulate test tasks so that efficient instruction can promote student mastery of the domain. Time-on-task has been promoted by instructional psychologists as preferable to test teaching. (DWH)

"Focus on Basics" is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is…

This study examined the impact of smaller class size on elementary student achievement, focusing on types of instructional strategies utilized, student time on task, academic focus of the classroom, and types of interactions between teachers and students and between students and students. Two long-term class size reduction sites in North Carolina…

This article discusses the writing problems of children with disabilities and the hallmarks of effective writing strategy instruction. Potential obstacles to strategy generalization are presented, followed by effective interventions, including: explicit modeling and practice of writing strategies, training self-regulatory behaviors, communicating…

This study found six students (ages 5-7) with multiple disabilities correctly used a choice card to set goals, assign worksheets, complete work, and evaluate results more frequently during independent work sessions that followed a student choice condition than in independent work sessions that followed a teacher choice condition. (Contains 8…

Investigates the effect of implementing cooperative versus individual learning and orienting activities during computer-based instruction (CBI). Results indicated that students who received instructional objectives performed significantly better on posttests than students who received either advance organizers or no orienting activities. Learning…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of a teaching package (graduated guidance and visual activity schedules) in teaching four children (ages 7-8) with autism to increase on-task and on-schedule behavior. Student performance rose to criterion levels upon introduction of the graduated guidance procedures and maintained when the picture activity book…

Forty-seven 10th graders were observed for seven weeks to investigate effects of computer-assisted drill-and-practice instruction (CAI) on student achievement and their off-task behavior compared with similar seatwork in a business education class. Results indicated higher achievement and higher rates of on-task behavior during the CAI condition.…

In this case note I report on the introduction of incentive-based preparation exercises into my law teaching. These exercises require students, at each seminar class, to hand in a written summary of their responses to focussed questions on course materials. These questions are directly related to the work required for the final assessment in the…

For students to develop an understanding of functions, they must have opportunities to solve problems that require them to transfer between algebraic, numeric, and graphic representations (transfer problems). Research has confirmed student difficulties with certain types of transfer problems and has suggested instructional factors as a possible…

This study tested a model of teacher interventions (TIs) conducted during cooperative learning to examine how they affected students' subsequent time on-task (TOT) and problem solving. TIs involved groups of ninth-grade students working on an algebra problem; videotaped lessons were transcribed and analyzed. Results showed that teachers initiated…