Illustrates the "hypothesis-test" teaching approach with one kindergarten student. Notes that it was the author's stepping back to watch for multiple interpretations of her observations of Jaime's behavior that gave Jaime space to think, to use his voice to make connections, and to grow. (SR)

A study evaluated a therapeutic intervention program for young adults with severe autism at the Oasi Institute in Troina, Sicily. The program, which integrates gentle teaching, humanistic applied behavior analysis, and functional communication training, provides opportunities to acquire functional skills through errorless learning activities.…

Reviews 200+ studies on microteaching. Argues that the use of microteaching in pre- and inservice education leads to positive and long-term effects in the acquisition of verbal and non-verbal behaviorial patterns, integration of learning into individual behavioral repertoire, and in the transfer into professional teaching practice. (CAJ)

Describes observations of a high school classroom and subsequent interviews with poor readers in the class to uncover their coping strategies. Argues that teachers who focus on effective instruction from only their own perspectives fail to appreciate the needs of unsuccessful readers. Concludes with recommendations for improving teacher…

Essential ingredients of supervising teachers include: (1) going beyond teacher report to direct observation, (2) timely identification of problems, (3) careful analysis of programs for design adequacy, (4) provision for extensive teacher practice in structured settings, (5) provision for additional supervised classroom practice, and (6) a well…

Development of effective cognitive-behavioral training approaches for students with learning handicaps in academic domains, such as spelling, requires greater concern for teachers' knowledge of the academic domain, as well as their pedagogical expertise in finely and precisely adjusting their instructional use of language to communicate that…

Three important elements needed for constructing expert mathematics lessons are described: rich agendas, consistent but flexible lesson structures, and clear, understandable explanations. Each is discussed in terms of its hypothetical characteristics and then tested by comparing two novice and four expert elementary mathematics teachers. (MNS)

Analysis of videotapes of an effective teacher's 14-lesson instructional unit on volleyball revealed the teacher's use of 5 activities to maintain students' interest and demonstrate tasks: getting learner's attention; choosing a communication method; selecting and organizing learning cues; improving communication clarity; and phrasing tasks'…

Contends that introducing elementary students to history concepts is difficult because they have few reference points for comprehending change over time. Discusses the use of buttons for an inquiry-based activity designed to heighten student interest and learning. (CFR)

Presents 13 active-learning activities designed for use in consumer behavior courses. The exercises involve students in brief activities, such as analysis of persuasion techniques in advertising, and follow-up discussion. Reports that students found the exercises enjoyable and worthwhile. (CFR)

This paper views effective communication as an essential component of appropriate social behavior, provides definitions and conceptualizations of social skills and social competence within academic contexts, and describes social skills assessment and intervention procedures for school-age children and youth with and without disabilities.…

Writing groups, used in many English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) composition classrooms, pose problems for some students from collectivistic cultures such as Japan and China. Suggested reasons are the individual benefit goal, the need for feedback rather than group harmony, and strained group dynamics. (Contains 41 references.) (Author/LB)

Maintains that gathering and analyzing data about the nature and scope of violence is an important step in designing meaningful safe-schools projects. Presents a safe-schools survey lesson plan designed for secondary schools. Includes lesson objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and sample student survey questions. (CFR)

Most classroom messages come from nonverbal communication. By consciously controlling their own nonverbal expressions, presenters can maintain positive relationships with the audience while managing participants' attention, transitions, and directions. This allows educators to teach content more effectively. The paper examines the importance of…

Three elementary students with behavioral disorders were trained to use a cognitive "cover, copy, and compare" strategy to learn division facts. Two students increased their rate of correct responding to mastery level, the third student required additional feedback and goal setting, and all three students maintained increased rates of…