This publication provides Autism Program Quality Indicators (APQI), intended as a self-review and quality improvement guide for schools and programs serving students with autism spectrum disorders. The APQI were developed by the New York Autism Network at the request of the New York State Education Department. The APQI promote the goal that all…

This text is intended to introduce undergraduate or graduate general or special education majors to student characteristics and teaching strategies with students who have mild disabilities (mild mental retardation, behavior disorders, and learning disabilities). Part 1 addresses the characteristics of students with mild disabilities. Chapter 1…

Background: After the failure of several important methods comparison studies in the 1960s, the influence of interaction analysis stimulated interest in foreign language classroom processes. More careful observational studies gradually revealed which process variables were of interest. Also, there has been much research on teacher talk, with a…

Noting that individuals learn best through experiences freely chosen, this book is intended to help teachers create a community of independent learners in a classroom--showing how to let the curriculum and resources support rather than lead children's learning--and to demonstrate how to individualize each child's education. Chapter 1 introduces…

This study investigated student teachers' views on their best and worst teachers' characteristics. Students in four sections of a sophomore-level teacher education program prerequisite course were required to write half-page descriptions of their best and worst teachers from elementary and high school, focusing on the behaviors and attitudes that…

This paper includes four cases that may be incorporated into a variety of preservice teacher education classes such as foundations of education, current issues in education, curriculum methods, administration and supervision, or classroom management. Each case includes discussion questions, a fact sheet, and references. The four cases are: (1)…

This report describes the outcomes of a study that examined teacher efficacy in order to generate an exploratory and explanatory theory of teacher efficacy in the context of four heterogeneous fifth and sixth grade classrooms. It investigated how the four elementary teachers identified as being efficacious described the relationships between…

This study examined the effects of using expert models on the reflective thought of preservice special educators during classroom instruction. Nonintervention students completed seminars emphasizing Stalling's Active Teaching and Learning and Learning to Teach in Inner City Schools and the Diverse Populations curriculum. The seminars included…

Discusses characteristics of withdrawn children and describes actions the teacher can take to help such children progress in reading. (MKM)

Describes and illustrates the interaction between personal, policy, and organizational factors that influence teachers' decisions regarding content and teaching methods. Specifically questions how this information might be used in determining the efficacy of educational reforms. Includes verbatim comments from teachers and a sample of interview…

Describes the design and implementation of a peer-led sexually transmitted disease/human immunodeficiency virus prevention program for high school students in a dropout prevention program. Pre- and postintervention ratings of peers' effectiveness by teachers and students demonstrated an increase in awareness and discussion and an increase in…

Reviews studies and journal articles to collect suggestions for increasing individual student involvement in small-group activities. Briefly addresses the lack of student productivity during these activities. Includes a descriptive table of all articles appearing in "Teaching of Psychology" between 1974 and 1995. (MJP)

Asserts that, in an economic environment that threatens music programs, elementary music educators must reexamine their role in schools and work toward creating a program that is considered too necessary to cut. Discusses the history of music education and suggests approaches for keeping the program alive. (CFR)

Reviews the social studies goal of citizenship education. Describes the goals, instructional techniques, evaluation methods, and classroom management strategies used in the Mississippi Freedom Schools during the middle 1960s. Contends that these schools could be used as a model for effective social studies instruction today. (CFR)

Describes the effects of technology on teaching, learning, and teacher-student relationships in a public school program for pregnant teenagers (mostly ethnic minorities). The teacher's role changed from leader with all knowledge to guide and partner in learning. Students' roles changed from resistant nonachievers to more confident, enthusiastic…