Three researchers, addressing the problem of instructional improvement, identify sound research findings and cite problems associated with the transfer of these findings into classroom practice. Donald M. Medley, in "An Overview of Research on Classroom Teaching," identifies three variables which consistently differentiate between effective and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between early family experiences of student teachers and observed teaching behaviors in preschool settings. A total of 109 students enrolled in teaching practicums at two locations completed a background information questionnaire. Subjects' teaching behaviors were noted by trained…

The guide describes a summer inservice program designed to help professionals involved with autistic or autistic-like students. The first section describes the training approach, and the Special Study Institute, which included a camp experience for children with autism. (Sample agendas for the 2 week sessions are included.) Planning and…

This final report describes the activities, results, and conclusions of a 3-year project whose major purpose was to improve test-taking skills of learning-disabled and behaviorally disordered students, with respect to standardized achievement tests. The project concluded that: learning-disabled and behaviorally disordered students exhibit deficits…

This paper examines the nature of student engagement in the instructional activities of eighth- and ninth-grade English classes and draws general conclusions applicable to instruction at all levels. It focuses on the teacher's pivotal role, showing that certain discourse practices elicit substantive (rather than procedural) student engagement,…

This paper puts forth techniques for the promotion of reflection which can be used in university seminars for preservice teachers. The techniques are based on the idea of reframing, i.e., looking at experiences from a new perspective. From a cognitive psychological point of view, this means that the person's cognitions about a situation or…

This study investigated the relationship between elementary teachers' theoretical knowledge about seatwork during reading instruction and students' on-task behavior. Subjects, 253 students and their 10 elementary teachers in an inner-city school in Ohio who used seatwork activities with the rest of the class while they worked in small reading…

Feminist pedagogy is characterized by a sustained effort to acknowledge the dialectical relationship between the learner and that which is to be learned. In a feminist classroom the teacher insists upon the integration of personal experience and affective response with subject matter, discourages students from being passive recipients of…

The relative effectiveness of four instructional methods for increasing the interpersonal vocational skills of 122 mildly retarded high school students was investigated. Curriculum packages featured (1) verbal presentation of problematic social situations, (2) verbal presentation coupled with behavior rehearsal, (3) videotape vignettes of problem…

An approach to teaching foreign business practices combines two common approaches already used. It introduces the student to cultural patterns responsible for the way business is conducted abroad, and makes recommendations concerning appropriate behavior for specific situations. However, it also treats general culture and specific behavior as…

Profiles are presented of six superior educators whose students achieved an excellence far beyond what might be expected of them. The subjects were a speech and drama teacher, a girls' basketball coach, a choral music teacher, an art teacher, and principals of an elementary and a secondary school. The major finding of the study was that, without…

Twenty-two authors contributed chapters to this collection of best practices in the education of students with mental disabilities. Section One, "Critical Issues for Consideration," contains six papers: "'New' EMRs" (Donald MacMillan); "Curricular Orientations" (James Patton and Edward Polloway); "Applying Curriculum for the Instruction of Life…

An overview is presented of results of process-product research into the relationship between teacher behavior and student achievement. Results of studies are summarized, focusing mainly on teacher behaviors in the areas of: (1) management of time; (2) structuring and presenting lessons; and (3) questioning techniques. Research results on…

Over a 14-month period, infants who were initially 10 months old were intermittently allowed to play with three sets of graduated objects presented in disarray. All of the infants acquired the ability to completely organize the materials. The infants exhibited patterned behavior in their organizing practices when they individualized objects by…

Aliteracy, the ability to read but the unwillingness to do so, is a growing problem in American society. Aliteracy crosses all socioeconomic levels, thereby allowing autocratic, charismatic leaders to influence thinking and decision-making. Social changes that have contributed to the problem of aliteracy include the influence of television on…