This paper examines the observable play behaviors of elementary school students to determine how children interact within and among cultural groups. Observations were conducted during the recess period at an urban elementary school attended by 623 boys and girls age 6 through 12. Recess periods and play areas were segregated by grade and sex. Data…

Studies have shown that preservice teachers do modify their knowledge and value dispositions for teaching culturally diverse student populations. Continuing this line of research, this study focuses on pedagogical and methodological conditions in the education of preservice teachers. A class of preservice teachers was assigned to various public…

A 3-year action research study was conducted by the Spirit River School Division in northwestern Alberta to develop and validate a set of indicators to assess teacher effectiveness in a formative process. Focusing on professional development and staff inservice, the Educational Quality Indicators Project (EQI) sought to determine if the 26…

This study investigated whether the criterion-related validity coefficient of the Instructional Strategy Usage (ISU) instrument was statistically significant, and investigated factors related to general education teachers' use of instructional strategies that facilitate inclusion of students with moderate and severe impairments in general…

Performance-based assessment provides an alternative identification method for young gifted children. A performance-based identification process was developed and implemented to select three-, four-, and five-year-old children for inclusion in a school for gifted children. Literature regarding child development, characteristics of young gifted…

Student affairs personnel must both ensure the safety and basic civil rights of students and also find ways to expose students to the consequences of their actions and speech. These obligations involve tensions between students' rights to free speech and their rights to equal protection under the Constitution, thus to education free from…

This volume lays out the human factors involved in effective teaching and encourages both future teachers and current practitioners to cultivate the personal and professional qualities found in the kind of teachers they want to be. The single most important factor in a teacher's effectiveness is described as his or her unique style of interaction…

This framework emphasizes health literacy for students, i.e., development of the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed for healthy living. The framework defines four unifying ideas of health literacy that serve as central themes for all content areas and grade levels: (1) acceptance of personal responsibility for lifelong health; (2) respect for…

This paper posits that metaphor, in addition to embellishing language, promotes a comprehensive understanding of complex concepts and phenomena and provides teachers with a powerful way to talk about their work. The main body of this document, which includes an extensive review of the literature, considers the use of metaphors for mentoring in the…

This study assessed the effectiveness of a model for providing long distance technical assistance on teacher implementation of an intervention designed to increase child-child social interaction. Subjects were 10 preschool special education teachers and 40 preschool-aged children (some developing normally and some with mild to moderate…

This study examined the relationship between the stress factors affecting low-income African-American mothers' child rearing practices and their children's prosocial behavior and peer status. Thirty at-risk preschool children and their single mothers participated in the study. The Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment for…

More than 150 research studies were reviewed to develop this set of suggestions for teachers interested in effective history instruction. The suggestions are organized into four categories: (1) Teacher perceptions and behavior; (2) Student activities and cooperative learning; (3) Homework; and (4) Effective use of textbooks. A brief bibliography…

Foreign language listening comprehension instruction too often relies on brief selections read aloud or sporadic teacher talk interspersed with native language (NL) utterances, which fail to provide sustained listening practice. NL is overused for grammar-related talk, reducing target language exposure, encouraging translation, and hindering…

To what degree do teacher participants in one science enhancement institute intend to use the information in the classroom the next fall? What factors assist this extension of learning? What factors detract from teachers applying new knowledge in the classroom? Sixteen second- to eighth-grade science teachers from a physical and life science…

A conceptual framework is presented for discussing teacher autonomy in a historical perspective against the background of a profound decentralization in the Swedish educational system introduced in the early 1980s. The way teachers use a broadened space of action cannot be fully understood unless a distinction is made between private and…