Compares activities related to maternal organization of infant attention toward mother and the environment in Japanese and American mother-child dyads. Results reveal that the two cultures have both similar activity and interaction patterns and culture-specific patterns. (Author/BB)

Describes a study of seventh graders in Australia that was conducted to investigate the extent to which interactive video-based teacher ratings of social skill represented a valid measure of the actual classroom behavior of students. Correlations between the teachers' ratings and observed behavior are discussed and further research is suggested.…

Examines ways in which day-care center directors can share perspectives with classroom teachers and build good director-teacher relationships. Notes that the sharing of perspectives about the environment, a child, or an activity nurtures a collaborative effort between teacher and director, in which a common task becomes the focus for increased…

The "window-wall" in the San Diego State University/Cajon Valley Union School District Model Education Center provides a mechanism for linking theory to practice for preservice teachers at this professional development school. Several observation activities are described, and the value of the window-wall to school and university faculty…

This article offers a framework for assessing problem behaviors in classroom settings. It explains three prerequisite steps (identification, prioritization, and delineation of operational definitions) and three methods for formulating hypotheses (structured interviews, systematic observations, and experimental functional analyses). (DB)

Presents a case for the development of new criteria for evaluating distance-learning instruction. Discusses elements of effective teaching and possible adaptations of those elements with regard to distance-learning situations. Contains 38 references. (SV)

Suggests the ways in which teachers can structure their classrooms, provide a range of challenging activities, and develop their observational skills identify the intellectual strengths of their students, particularly through the use of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory as a framework for recognizing children's intellectual strengths.…

Investigated the role of classroom characteristics and preschool children's complex interactions with teachers, objects and peers. Found that complex interactions with objects were most probable in dramatic play and in art activities with the teacher present. Complex peer interactions were rare, but complex teacher interactions were probable in…

Reports findings of a two-year study of undergraduates at a United Kingdom university concerning the development and implementation of a general-purpose computer-based assessment (CBA) system. Results of questionnaires, observations, interviews, and a comparative analysis of student scores in conventional examinations and computer-based…

Describes an activity in which students make careful observations about earwigs, then design their own questions for further investigation. (WRM)

Describes a study exploring the social dynamics within a typical preschool classroom that included a 3-year-old with severe visual impairments. Notes findings that this child was an active participant in shared social experiences with his peers, which contributed to his membership and acceptance. Discusses adult mediation and interpretation of the…

Describes a two-day interdisciplinary field trip for a group of 63 ninth graders that was followed up in the classroom with related units in history, art, biology, English, and drama. Describes how the students were challenged to use nature to discover who they were, observing closely and then letting go in order to think and connect. (SR)

Reports on a qualitative study that explored strategies and behaviors of public library users during interaction with an online public access catalog, and users' confidence in finding needed information online. Discusses results of questionnaires, interviews, and observations that examined unknown-item searches, area searches, and known-item…

Investigates novice teachers' perceptions of pacing in music instruction and identifies the aspects of timing that are associated with evaluations of instructional pacing. Reports that pace of instruction was rated more positively when the rates of student performance episodes and teacher activity episodes were higher rather than lower. (CMK)

Studied attitudes of college faculty toward methods of formative evaluation of peers. Most of the faculty members participating, ranging from 10 to 82 at colleges in Iowa indicated that they would take part in classroom observation, videotaping, evaluation of course materials, and assessment of evaluation of the work of students as peer evaluation…