The curriculum guide consists of a set of assessment tools, curriculum decision guidelines, instructional recommendations, and sample activities focused on teaching basic social and communication skills to children with autism and severe developmental handicaps. Section One provides an introductory discussion of issues related to effective…

This study was conducted as part of a project to increase the number of certified teachers who serve students with behavior disorders in the rural regions of West Virginia, improve the quality of training to participants at both the elementary and secondary levels, and retain certified teachers who teach students with behavior disorders. Improving…

Teacher's explanations for students' low achievement were reliably classified using the attributional coding system proposed by H. M. Cooper and T. L. Good (1983). Study subjects were 20 male and 24 female teachers enrolled in graduate classes at a midwestern university. All grade-level teaching assignments (primary school through…

Reported in this document are observations of early childhood education in England, Israel, Seychelles, and China. Specifically, observations focus on (1) teacher behavior, including behavior toward individuals, small groups, and large groups or whole classes; (2) teacher demonstration behaviors; (3) teacher verbal and nonverbal behaviors, such as…

This paper is part of a series of studies about the nature of expertise in teaching and the cognitions of effective teachers. A summary offered of psychological research on the nature of expertise indicates that experts often know more, in a more elaborate way, about the subject than novices and organize knowledge in a different fashion. It is…

To learn how basal reading program manuals affect teacher behavior during the time scheduled for reading, classroom observations were made of 16 teachers from first, third, and fifth grade classes. The first grade teachers were observed for a total of 605 minutes; the third grade teachers for 780 minutes; and the fifth grade teachers for 535…

The paper considers improved instructional design for learning handicapped students including the development of a cooperative and supportive school organization, the creation of appropriate classroom management systems, and the employment of active teaching strategies. A supportive school organization requires a positive interpersonal climate,…

This paper develops a working definition of teacher engagement, a definition based upon an understanding of how underlying assumptions about the goals of teaching affect what and whom teachers are engaged with, as well as how researchers' conceptions of proper power and authority in the school context influence what they see. Different dimensions…

Reported are conclusions from the continuation of an investigation into cross-cultural aspects of education of children of 3-8 years of age. Discussion focuses on educational practices in Australia, Austria, India, Russia, and Zimbabwe. Topics include teacher actions and verbalizations, and school organization and administration. Teacher actions…

This study used knowledge derived from classroom-based research on teaching and laboratory-based research on children's learning to improve teachers' classroom instruction and students' achievement. Twenty first-grade teachers, assigned randomly to an experimental treatment, participated in a month-long workshop in which they studied findings on…

The manual presents the framework of the Student Support Team (SST), an approach involving two or more professionals who develop alternative instructional strategies for students in lieu of special education placement. General considerations are offered for classroom management, curriculum adaptations, and adaptations for the visually and hearing…

Teacher performance areas, criteria for evaluating them, and response modes (checklists for rating teacher performance) are supplied in this document, a prototype developed for the School Improvement Model (SIM) project. Teacher performance areas selected for evaluation include productive teaching techniques; organized, structured class…

This publication reviews research findings related to the verbal questioning behaviors and practices of teachers. It emphasizes current research related to the impact of questioning practices on student thinking, achievement, and attitudes. This includes questioning techniques and strategies and approaches to analyzing classroom questions. A list…

In order to determine the effect of day care center sponsorship on children's development, the authors examined the ways in which programs, objects and materials, and teacher/child interactions affected the preoperational behavior of 4-year-old black children in publicly and privately supported day care centers. A total of 120 4-year-olds (30 from…

A study examined the effects of three types of teacher questions (literal, interpretive, applied) on: (1) frequency, length, and quality of student response; (2) classroom interaction; (3) student questions; (4) intentional and incidental learning; and (5) student attitudes. Multiple-choice formats were used to assess intentional learning, and…