The study described in this report investigated the effects of two context variables on small-group learning--namely, group size and group gender composition--within an adult learning framework. In the study, the "revolving circle" method was innovated. In this design, one group member is the center of the cooperative circle and all…

Focusing on humor as a powerful instructional resource, this booklet addresses a variety of issues regarding humor in the elementary and secondary classroom. Thirteen ways in which humor can help teachers to achieve educational goals are presented, specifically that it (1) attracts attention and provokes thought, (2) liberates creative capacities,…

Writing is a threefold discipline that occupies a supreme place in American education, and without which there can be no other learning. Writing is not only a body of knowledge; it is also a set of acquired habits, and a frame of mind and attitude with which a writing task is approached. Writing may be defined in three ways, as (1) a discipline;…

The purpose of the Exemplary Practice in Science and Mathematics Education (EPSME) study was to identify high quality science and mathematics teaching, to document exemplary practice through case studies, and to investigate key characteristics common to exemplary teaching in different sites. This paper discusses the case studies which considered…

Data from 12 2-hour observations of 41 elementary school classroom teachers were used to investigate classroom management problems associated with the use of small group instruction. Student engagement during small group instruction was compared with that in whole class instruction, seatwork, and transitions. Classroom narratives of subsamples of…

A conflict exists over the use of animals in the classroom. One aspect of this use involved the dissection of animals. Animal protection advocates report that dissections constitute abuse of the animals dissected. The advocates state that what is learned by dissection could be more effectively learned by other means. Some science educators state…

The progress of a group of student teachers who used action research techniques in their student teaching experience was studied. Action research is designed to yield practical results that are immediately applicable to a specific situation or problem. Action research strategies were used by student teachers to identify and find effective ways of…

The Stanford Research International (SRI) classroom observation system provides a description of the classroom environment with emphasis on interactions between teachers and students and among students. Included in the SRI observation system is the Five Minute Observation (FMO), which records classroom interactions into "frames"…

This study tested the validity of the prevalent assumption that a teacher's understanding of the nature of science, in and of itself, is related to changes in the conceptions of his/her students and identified the classroom dimensions (such as teacher behavior and classroom ecology) significantly related to changes in students' conceptions. Data…

This paper reports research on differences between teaching in the primary and intermediate grades. Hypotheses concerning differences in teacher behaviors, teacher communications, grouping, teacher control, and types of materials were developed. Six 1st- and 2nd-grade classes and five 4th- and 5th-grade classes were observed for four 45-minute…

One means of making undergraduate instruction more relevant to students' needs and interests has been to use popular media to illustrate concepts in psychology courses. College students (N=54) in a theories of personality course wrote brief essays explaining the behavior of television characters in terms of theories taught in the course. The…

This paper reviews both the content and the methodological issues involved in the small but growing number of empirical studies on the use of Direct Instruction programs and teaching procedures with special populations. The research reviewed includes experimental and quasi-experimental work, summative evaluations of entire programs, and…

A justification for the study of teachers' routines, as they affect the preparation of lesson plans, prefaces this paper on teachers' thought processes during lesson planning. In focusing on the importance of research into teachers' routines, it is pointed out that lesson preparation and classroom routines permit teachers to direct attention to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of student participation and of realistic levels of vagueness terms on student achievement and attitudes. Ninety-six sixth graders from a middle school in Georgia were randomly assigned to one of eight groups defined by possible combinations of two teacher uncertainty conditions, two…

An overview is presented of what research studies have revealed about: instruction in school subjects; general elements of teaching (such as organization and conduct of lessons); prevention and control of misconduct; interpretation of test results; diagnosis of learning difficulties; and the conditions and procedures of learning and development.…