Discusses reaction to satirical letter criticizing teachers for spending extra time with weaker students published in the March 23, 2001, issue of the "San Jose Mercury News" by a former professor of mathematics and computer science. (PKP)

A growing literature points to the importance of children's relationships with their teachers as a factor influencing attitudinal, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of school adjustment. However, such data may be confounded when the same teacher rates school adjustment as well as relationship quality. The present study sought to address this…

This article describes a means for providing a systematic flow of information to help teachers and schools evaluate and select those teaching/learning materials that are most likely to work well with specific programs and kids. (PD)

In almost every classroom there is a minority of children that, regardless of effort, teachers have difficulty working with. The "Suggestion Circle" is a method for soliciting streamlined, on-focus ideas for solving classroom problems with the help of colleagues. In the Suggestion Circle there are three roles for people: the person who…

Simulating a confrontation at a convention or other meetings can prepare participants to be ready for the real thing, says this author. He raises pertinent questions to simulate thinking on this possibility. (Editor)

Aggressive behaviors were incident sampled in 5 nursery schools, 5 play groups, and 5 day nurseries in England, and the results compared to those of American studies. Boys had a greater probability of being involved in aggressive incidents than girls. There was no consistent evidence that adults intervened differentially in boy-boy, boy-girl, and…

A study was designed to determine whether the presence or absence of a classroom observer and the prior knowledge or lack of knowledge that an observation was to occur would affect the verbal behavior of teachers as measured by the Flanders System of Interaction Analysis. The variables were dichotomized yielding a 2 x 2 x 2 experimental design…

Reports an investigation to assess praiseworthy grading versus traditional grading. With praiseworthy grading, finds improvement in the quality of student writing, and argues that teachers give balanced and focused commentary on the strengths and weaknesses in students' writing. (JAD)

Reviews various approaches to critical response/evaluation, including New Criticism and belletrism, and discusses the relationship between grading and responding. Asserts that a teacher's response to students' written efforts offers the student a repertoire of critical values and a model of critical reading. (MM)

Lying is a symptom of a much broader problem. Primary motivations are need for acceptance, fear of punishment, and desire for attention. Children learn about honesty through observation, both directly and indirectly. Admitting mistakes, especially to children, is invaluable and can help break the lying syndrome. (MT)

Presents results of a questionnaire profiling duties and concerns of state and provincial reading consultants in the United States and Canada. (TO)

An overview of five related articles emphasizing the need to incorporate student ideas in planning programs. (SP)

Examines the criteria which must be met for an explanation given to an elementary school student to be considered satisfactory. Types of explanations described are descriptive, prescriptive, aesthetic, and analytic. Criteria include suitability to content and the explanation's relationship with the student's previous knowledge level. (AM)

Provides a brief description of cognitive styles, particularly Witkin's model of Field Dependence/Field Independence. Proposes that there is sufficient theory and research in this area for adult educators to adopt into immediate practice. (SK)

Teachers are evaluated by many different techniques and for many purposes. In most schools, the responsibility for such evaluations rests squarely on the shoulders of the principal. But--who evaluates the principal? (Editor)