Discusses the development of performance schema that outline criteria specific to a job-related activity during which trainees apply course content and demonstrate competencies learned. The process involves identification and grouping of criteria, choosing rating scales, checklist construction, and organization of the preceding elements into a…

Videocameras and wireless microphones were used to study the peer relations of aggressive and nonaggressive children on playgrounds at two schools. Aggressive children were found to be verbally and physically aggressive once every 3 and 8 minutes, respectively, while nonaggressive children were found to be verbally and physically aggressive once…

Addresses research questions related to purposeful collaboration as a mechanism for successful teacher professional development in the process of designing a telecommunications network with users. (19 references) (Author/MKR)

Used a constructivist teaching/learning approach to improve first year preservice primary teachers' confidence in, and attitude to, teaching science. Benefits reported were ownership of knowledge, development of pedagogic skills, and the use of group work to develop ideas. Concerns raised included uncertainty when exploring knowledge for…

Discusses a study in which music education majors and non-music-education majors observed a violin lesson. Reports that observers received varying instructions regarding how to observe the lesson. Reports that majors' evaluations were generally lower or equal to nonmusic majors' ratings. Concludes that the focus of the observation task and…

Construction, field testing with children with disabilities, and analysis of the preliminary version of the Preadolescent Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (PA-HOME) are described. The paper concludes that the assessment is a reasonably reliable scale with moderate correlations with other measures of the family environment.…

Describes how to observe and study the fascinating world of insects in public parks, backyards, and gardens. Discusses the activities and habits of several common insects. Includes addresses for sources of beneficial insects, seeds, and plants. (nine references) (JJK)

Considers contributions of Sigmund Freud and Rene Spitz to developmental psychology. Freud's contributions include his observations about play, perspectives on developmental processes, and ideas about unconscious mental activity. Spitz's contributions include his assessments of infants, perspectives on developmental processes, and his concept of…

Outlines popular cooperative learning models to acquaint administrators with their titles, developers, and major program characteristics. Provides guidelines for determining observational focus and feedback for teachers. By understanding differences between a teacher-directed and cooperative learning lesson, administrators recognize teacher…

The ability to recognize and recall details about objects helps scientists figure out the answers to problems. Observational skills can be developed by sketching objects in detail. Rapid drawing can improve students' sense of important features and rapid memorization of clues about an object. (JDD)

Discusses formalizing in mathematics and provides anecdotal illustrations of formalizing in a constructivist environment, using students aged 12 and 8 involved in fraction work. (Contains 19 references.) (MKR)

Elementary teachers (n=9) saw giftedness as having the common characteristic of creativity. However, in nominating students to gifted programs, teachers focused on classroom performance more than creativity. Thus, their observations more closely matched official definitions rather than their personal concepts, and they had not worked to align the…

Defines vital whole-language components and then suggests how the clinical supervision preconference, data collection, and postconference cycle can be used to identify and analyze teacher concerns or questions. Discusses three data collection techniques appropriate for the whole-language classroom. (RS)

Ninety-five subjects observing videotaped secretaries performing well or poorly were told either to evaluate or monitor job performance. Ratings were influenced by the rater's objective. Regardless of objective, results showed a high level of covariance among the independent traits of the secretaries. (SK)

A method is presented for determining the optimal number of conditions to use in measurement designs when resource constraints are imposed. The method is illustrated using a multivariate two-facet design, and extensions to other designs are discussed. (SLD)