In the 1993-94 National Center for Education Statistics survey of 50,000 teachers, secondary teachers consistently rated violence, vandalism, and verbal abuse as more severe in their schools than in elementary schools. Teachers at all levels were concerned about students' physical conflicts. Both levels have become increasingly violent, however,…

Offers guidelines to help teachers with effective response when students self-disclose personal problems in writing (both beforehand and after students self-disclose). Discusses the rise in number of college students with psychological and mental disorders. (RS)

Reviews the OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education) school inspection system, based on interviews with 37 teachers at 6 Welsh secondary schools. Inspections emphasize judgment at the expense of advice and can be unnecessarily stressful. The process could be improved by giving shorter periods of notice, reducing required documentation, providing…

A recent study examined the complex interplay between the evolution of a dialogic community and four elementary teachers' changing beliefs and classroom practices. Teachers' dialog changed from information-sharing and description early in the year to questioning and critique as their involvement in the dialogic community progressed. Reflective…

Constructs a protocol of a teacher reading and responding to a student essay. Provides a map of the various concerns a teacher can take up in reading. Creates and models a heuristic to reflect on reading and responding practices in light of one's philosophy, assumptions, and practice. (PM)

Considers how responding to students' writing can be a tricky business. Recognizes how teachers affect students' attitudes toward reading, writing and literature. Concludes that if teachers respond honestly to their students' writing as serious and interested readers, they will establish an atmosphere of trust and acceptance in which their…

Notes the importance and the difficulty of recognizing those students at risk for depression. Proposes that one of the most important things educators can do is to ask for inservice education on this disease and policies for handling those at risk. Concludes that when educators work with depressed students, they should consider adjusting class…

Describes how website teacher evaluations enable students to read what other students have written about prospective teachers and instructors. Notes that online evaluations provide critical information that is regularly updated and available 24 hours a day. Concludes that online evaluation sites help teachers reflect on teaching practices, respond…

Analyzes the effects of particular patterns of teacher response to second grade students' entries in dialogue journals. Results show that elaborative responses lead to increased written output and more complex stories by students. (PCB)

Notes that even specific journal writing assignments tend to elicit intimate feelings and expressions from students. Notes that English teachers often question their ability to respond in positive ways to such intimacies. Argues that English teachers should learn about legal implications, response options, and their own individual values to…

The paper presents data obtained in a preliminary study of teacher (N=2) responsiveness to communicative initiation attempts of preschool children (N=4) with developmental delays. Teacher contingent responsiveness was low for both child- and teacher-directed activities but was lowest for the teacher-directed activities. (Author/DB)

Observes that most research-based recommendations for evaluating compositions are difficult to implement. Shows how taped, oral commentaries provide a more effective way to respond to students' writing, addressing content-level issues, showing syntactical options, suggesting stylistic alternatives, and altering intonation to personalize the…

The experiences of a teacher educator with practicing teachers form the basis of this analysis of teacher reflection--teachers examining their own knowledge. Using the work of Freire as a frame of reference, three phases in the development of teacher self-reflexiveness are identified: sympathetic description, analysis/synthesis, and action. (IAH)

Describes three- and four-year-old children's reactions to the death of a class guinea pig. The teacher recorded children's comments about the death and included them in a note to parents. The guinea pig was buried by the children in the school playyard. (RJC)

A researcher who participated in a 3-year study of in-school stress involving 250 urban junior high students and a practicing psychologist are interviewed on causes of adolescent stress, signs that alert teachers to its existence, and appropriate responses for teachers when it is encountered. (IAH)