As part of a larger examination of teaching and learning within the social context of high school biology classrooms, a case study examined the enactment of literacy events as social processes in two high school biology classrooms. Two veteran high school biology teachers in an urban high school used identical first-year biology textbooks and…

A case study of teachers' activity design processes presents early findings from an ongoing study that intends to contribute to a practical theory of activity design that captures and reduces the complexity of integrated activities. The study also points to the kind of support teachers need to reflect a more constructivist perspective in their…

Research by Darkenwald and by James and Day supports the contention that instructor behavior is a critical factor in shaping the kind of classroom environment desired by adult learners. Darkenwald developed the Actual and Ideal Adult Classroom Environmental Scale (ACES), which measures seven dimensions: involvement, affiliation, teacher support,…

A description is given of the Classroom Organization and Management Program, designed to help teachers in grades 1-9 and staff developers improve their overall instructional and behavioral management skills through planning, implementing, and maintaining effective classroom practices. It also seeks to improve student task engagement and reduction…

The concept of knowledge utilization and the nature of practical decisions are analyzed to investigate how research knowledge and effective teaching practice are related. It is argued that the personal commitments of teachers, common sense, and normative requirements can also be valid bases for action. The author points out that an over-reliance…

A conceptual framework is developed to consider two dimensions of evaluation systems likely to lead performers to internalize the evaluation process. The theory of evaluation and authority developed by Dornbusch and Scott provides the basis for a review of six studies in support of two propositions: (1) the more frequently performers are…

Fourteen papers are presented from a conference on severe behavior disorders of children and youth. The following titles are included: "Beyond the Classroom: The Teacher of Behaviorally Disordered Pupils in a Social System" (C. Nelson); "Correctional Education and Special Education--An Emerging Partnership; or 'Born to Lose'" (B. Wolford);…

The mental attitudes of professors engaged in teaching courses in teacher education were studied, based on a 3-year longitudinal survey (1976-1978). A mental health Self-Rating Scale was administered to 31,857 professors at 656 colleges and universities. The professors appeared to be stable in their judgments for each of the 3 years studied. Based…

This paper analyzes both Flanders' and the Foreign Language Interaction (FLint) methods of classroom observation and concludes that both systems are deficient in accuracy, reliability and practicality. Observing, recording and decision-making difficulties are inherent, and system complexities and teacher biases add to the problems. (CHK)

The classroom behaviors of male and female elementary school teachers were observed over a 3 month period and related to the classroom behaviors and school attitudes of their male and female students. (GO)

This study examined the professional competence perceptions of elementary school classroom teachers. Results indicate that teachers need and want feedback concerning their professional competence and that school counselors can respond to this need. Also describes an inservice program to help teachers increase their skills. (Author/HMV)

Whole language represents only one of many good concepts about teaching reading to children, but it is not for everybody. Because whole language is a philosophy rather than a specific method, educational practitioners can incorporate different aspects of this philosophy to different degrees. If teachers think of a continuum of theoretical bases…

Observation in schools by college supervisors indicates a gap between what a teacher knows on a theoretical level and what is actually done in classrooms on a practical level. This study was to determine where teachers perceived encountering encouragement or discouragement for lessons involving hands-on activities in science. A questionnaire was…

The status, roles, and functions of those involved in the supervision of teachers were studied, with attention to observation, evaluation, counseling, and inservice programs. The evolution of the supervisory role from 1850 to the present was traced, and probable future changes were predicted. The components of supervision as reported in the…

This study examined 665 elementary and secondary teachers with different levels of experience to discover differences and similarities in selected teaching behaviors. Of the 57 behaviors, 16 were clustered into teacher response to student response to a question or to a student initiation. Sixteen related to teacher response to inattentive or…