"On the Level," a classroom video series developed for 14- to 17-year-olds, is being broadcast by many public television stations. The series was designed to promote personal and social growth among adolescents. Suggestions given for the effective use of the series by teachers include: (1) selecting appropriate questions and activities; and (2)…

A preview of statistical data from previous studies determined the benefits of positive reinforcement on learning in students from kindergarten through college. Results indicate that differences between reinforced and control groups are greater for girls and for students from special schools and that reinforcement appears to have a strong effect…

Observation data from 46 classrooms demonstrated the importance of context in understanding teacher behavior. Student-teacher interactions for explaining and giving directions occurred a statistically different number of times in self-paced and other-paced (group or interactive) settings. (Author/GDC)

Describes a study designed to determine: (1) if professors use the lecture method exclusively; (2) if all disciplines reflect the same instructional patterns; (3) if students take an entirely passive part in postsecondary education; (4) other verbal interaction strategies used; and (5) if instructors at community colleges and universities differ.…

Suggests ways to help teachers implement inservice ideas in content area reading. Includes a planning chart and a series of questions content teachers can ask themselves about upcoming assignments or lessons. (MKM)

Studies the research and other literature on "special care" children and its implications for practice. Concentrates on studies concerning the most severely handicapped children, but also makes use of work on children less severely handicapped, where there are clear possible ways of applying the work to the most severely handicapped. (Author/CT)

Relates experiences in teaching children's literature to practicing teachers; suggests that teacher-students be put through exactly the same experiences as they will ask their pupils to go through, and reports that it is very effective to have teacher-students work in teams to explore literary texts or teaching problems. (GT)

Outlines four observational tools which child care administrators can use for evaluating their caregivers. (MP)

Examines the development and usefulness of the Elementary Science Teachers' Preferences (ESTP) test. Findings suggest that this instrument is useful and valid in determining differences between teaching preferences of teacher-centered and student-centered teachers. Findings also indicate that polarized labeling of teachers is inappropriate. (MA)

Standards for teacher education and methods of teaching have changed radically since the days of the one-room schoolhouse of one-hundred years ago.

This article states that affective learning is important to prevent boredom and stimulate language use. Use of affective learning activities in the language classroom is outlined and a teaching technique, the open-ended sentence is described as a method that elicits responses charged with personal opinions, feelings and humor. (CHK)

Offers a rationale for social skills instruction and integration for students with, or at risk for, learning and behavior problems. It examines the social skills needed in various settings and describes a three-step process for integrating academic content with social skill development. (DB)

Using a sampling of 1,801 students in grades K-6, provides school counselors with information about the frequency and the severity of specific behavior problems of boys and girls in classrooms. Also lists interventions recommended by teachers who report few of these problems in their classrooms. Statistical summaries appear in four appendices.…

Explains how an English teacher settled into an unproductive, formulaic approach to teaching writing and how he reformed himself and his teaching through a discovery of the processes involved in writing. Describes exercises and notebooks that furthered his new "process" approach to teaching writing. (TB)

Describes how a teacher used the "hypothesis-test" (HT) approach with a first grader for a school year to examine up close the process of a child learning to read. Describes how the teacher saw what was happening as the children read and then brought that to the rest of the class so everyone could learn from each other. (SR)