This paper aims to accomplish several purposes through conceptual analysis, story telling and interpretation, excursions into philosophy, and recent studies of teachers' professional development. First, the paper identifies limitations and confusions in current conceptions of teachers' professional thinking: equating teacher thinking with planning…

An ethnographic approach is taken to describe the development of student critical thinking in the Pittsburgh Discussion Project, focusing primarily on discussion experiences in three classes (one college-bound 9th-grade class and two mainstream 11th-grade classes) over the school year. Weekly discussions were audiotaped, and interviews were…

A study examined the relationship between interaction involvement--a kind of communication competence--and communication behavior in a negotiation setting. Subjects, 120 college students, completed the Interaction Involvement Scale and were placed in same-sex dyads of three types: (1) mixed dyads of one high- and one low-involved subject; (2)…

This paper presents a means to analyze the interactions that take place during a supervisory conference between a student teacher and the college supervisor. The theoretical perspective is described and transcripts of conferences for the Michigan State University Multiple Perspectives Teacher Education program are used as examples. Following…

Using data gathered by way of ethnographic research techniques in an intensive collaborative investigation of the classroom practice of two experienced teachers, each teacher's uniqueness is deliniated, and it is illustrated with examples of classroom practice, what it means for each teacher to know what to do in spontaneous practice.…

These appendices present the protocols used in research (reported in Volume 1) on the cognitive processes of students while learning from teaching. Curriculum outlines are given for the videotaped lessons used in the second and third studies: lessons in sleep and elementary psychology. Included in the appendices are: (1) the illustrative script…

This study examined, through retrospective interview data, the interaction between student teacher and mentor teacher during a 16-week practicum experience. The subjects were four teacher-intern pairs in an elementary school. Three models of coaching and teacher behaviors were considered: (1) joint experimentation--helps students formulate…

This paper explores the habits of isolation that teacher educators bring from previous lives as teachers, administrators, and students who have been part of typically individualistic and competitive K-12, undergraduate, and graduate schooling. The paper also addresses the lack of communication inside teacher education programs that isolates the…

A study was conducted to analyze the role that nonverbal communication plays in classroom climate. A 40-item classroom communication climate questionnaire was developed, and administered to 76 students and 8 teachers to determine its reliability and validity. After several changes and deletions, the final version of the questionnaire was…

A study was conducted to examine the presence and composition of nonverbal cues exhibited in a spontaneous dyadic interaction and to investigate the assumption that cue variation is inconsequential to the effect of nonverbal behavior implicit in methods that aggregate cue incidence across interactions. Subjects, 110 college undergraduates, worked…

Based on Vygotsky's notion of the zone of proximal development, this study aimed to determine the extent to which parents' teaching of children become less directive as a function of children's age and communicative status and to describe relations between parents' interaction styles and children's verbal I.Q. One hundred and twenty families…

An instructor cannot expect thirty learners to participate immediately in "meaningful dialogue" without opportunities to lessen their anxiety by testing group norms, sharing expectations, and developing a sense of membership. The article offers an alternative to the aristocratic learning experience in the context of a hospital inservice job…

This study aims to determine whether trait categories are generally perceived as more applicable to others than to self. Subjects described themselves and two acquaintances on trait checklists, indicating not only placement on trait continuum but also perceived consistency of trait-related behavior. Positive, negative, and neutral traits were…

Documentation of classroom processes and interaction plays two roles; it is helpful in classroom/program evaluation, and in the continuing personal and professional growth of the teacher. Documentation in the evaluation context is not primarily concerned with narrow objectives or with standardized tests, but rather seeks to determine meaning over…

This study of the behavior of a mixed group of male and female preschoolers in an indoor, free-play setting was designed to clarify two general issues: (1) the ratio of aggressive to non-aggressive disputes and the factors in the situation which may be associated with this relationship; and (2) the factors in the conflict episodes themselves which…