This study attempted to identify, by contrasting examples of junior high school math teachers' styles and teaching effectiveness, context-specific teacher activity structures and behaviors that effectively begin an instructional session. Methodology and results are discussed. (Author/JL)

Fourteen mildly handicapped (learning-disabled or behavior-disordered) and 36 nondisabled students in grade 10 social studies classrooms participated in a classwide peer tutoring program. Performance on weekly tests was significantly improved; 60 percent of all students earned "A" grades, and failing grades were virtually eliminated. (Author/JDD)

Sixty-eight elementary-level teachers were surveyed concerning their involvement in enrichment inservice courses and university courses on gifted education, and class climate established by the teachers. Results indicated that the more inservice courses undertaken, the more teachers reported directing their instruction toward higher levels of…

Argues that citizenship cannot be learned by reading textbooks, but instead is learned through daily interactions. States that the classroom, with its rules, authority, individuals, and groups, allows students to practice citizenship daily. Suggests that instruction focus on immediate student concerns and identifies strategies for connecting…

Student teachers (N=21) in elementary classrooms for mildly handicapped learners were randomly assigned to training and supervision in either databased problem-solving instructional approaches or conventional treatments. Teachers in the databased condition had significantly greater effects on reading achievement and off-task behavior control. No…

Discusses some of the principles of classroom management and discipline that can be used in the classroom. Includes avoiding distracting verbal exchanges, a management system, the use of verbal reprimand, room arrangements and isolation. Concludes that planning and attention to classroom management are worth the effort. (CW)

Based on observation of lessons in nine Soviet schools, describes the distinctive ethos of Soviet lessons, an ethos separate from the personality of individual teachers. Presents and analyzes transcripts of the lessons. Generalizes about the didactic method with which Soviet teachers teach and about how children are expected to learn. (SB)

One hundred fifteen teachers (58 percent) at universities, community colleges, and public schools reported their teaching practices and beliefs in teaching adults and preadults. Though they reported differences, observation yielded little evidence of a more student-centered approach with adults. Interaction analysis provided an objective…

At Santa Maria Middle School in southwest Phoenix, Arizona, teachers have decided to maintain their relationships with their students by looping through sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Here, they describe the results of the first three years of the program, discussing the development of their team's priorities and the strategies they embraced…

This study examines the year-long process in which a teacher and her fourth- and fifth-grade students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds implemented Book Club, a literature-based instructional program. Data analysis reveals a gradual release of responsibility from the teacher to students in carrying out book conversations. Five…

This book is written about youth gangs with the aim of educating teachers and administrators, parents, and others who work with youth. The main emphasis is on gang identifiers and positive behavior management strategies and crisis intervention techniques that can be used in schools and the home. Section 1, "Youth Gangs Past and Present," provides…

This report is an overview of recent research on the effects of class size on the academic performance and behavior of students at risk. In several ways it is not a conventional literature review. It emphasizes one recent large-scale investigation, Tennessee's Project STAR (Student-Teacher-Achievement-Ratio), begun in 1985. It is more evaluative…

Group seminars, or small discussion groups, support cooperative reflection between teachers, expose interns to new perspectives, help them develop professional relationships, and allow time for them to expand and deepen their reflective analysis of everyday occurrences. A group of 15 student teachers in an early childhood program at one university…

Discussion of the role of the school and its personnel toward children from disturbed homes. Condensed from "Kentucky School Journal, XLVIII (October 1969) p. 16, 34-35. (AP)

Degree of lesson complexity was examined and related to the type of approach used by eighth grade teachers. Results indicated that teachers adapt to the perceived complexity of class activities and to students' behavior cues, using direct instruction more frequently in mathematics and science than in the humanities and language arts. (Author/PP)