Reports on what British junior level teachers in the United Kingdom are doing in terms of giving formative/diagnostic feedback on literacy at Key Stage 2 classrooms. Finds that teachers made judgments about and provided feedback on a wide range of literacy events, even thought these interactions may not have been viewed explicitly as assessment.…

An expert teacher was studied, using ethnographic and phenomenological techniques, as he planned and taught 2 philosophy courses to gifted students, ages 12-18. The paper provides an overview of the teacher's thoughts and an explanation of the impact of an unwritten and unobservable collection of knowledge on the teacher's observable planning and…

The Behaviors of Eating and Activity for Children's Health Evaluation System (BEACHES) codes direct observations of children's dietary and physical activity behaviors and associated environmental events, including physical location, antecedents, and consequences. The system's reliability and validity was assessed in a study of 42 children (ages…

Mastery or "second chance" learning is easily adaptable to the principal's modeling through the classroom observation/supervision process. The five-step process (preobservation conference, performance of observation, postobservation conference, professional growth plan, and observation) helps teachers own the classroom observation process and…

Five papers and an introduction discuss internal evaluation (IE), concentrating on the various sources of authority for IE and ways of enhancing IE authority. The roles of internal evaluators, conflicts in the evaluation process, and evaluation in a state education agency are reviewed. (SLD)

Compares activities related to maternal organization of infant attention toward mother and the environment in Japanese and American mother-child dyads. Results reveal that the two cultures have both similar activity and interaction patterns and culture-specific patterns. (Author/BB)

Describes a study of seventh graders in Australia that was conducted to investigate the extent to which interactive video-based teacher ratings of social skill represented a valid measure of the actual classroom behavior of students. Correlations between the teachers' ratings and observed behavior are discussed and further research is suggested.…

Examines ways in which day-care center directors can share perspectives with classroom teachers and build good director-teacher relationships. Notes that the sharing of perspectives about the environment, a child, or an activity nurtures a collaborative effort between teacher and director, in which a common task becomes the focus for increased…

The "window-wall" in the San Diego State University/Cajon Valley Union School District Model Education Center provides a mechanism for linking theory to practice for preservice teachers at this professional development school. Several observation activities are described, and the value of the window-wall to school and university faculty…

This article offers a framework for assessing problem behaviors in classroom settings. It explains three prerequisite steps (identification, prioritization, and delineation of operational definitions) and three methods for formulating hypotheses (structured interviews, systematic observations, and experimental functional analyses). (DB)

Presents a case for the development of new criteria for evaluating distance-learning instruction. Discusses elements of effective teaching and possible adaptations of those elements with regard to distance-learning situations. Contains 38 references. (SV)

Suggests the ways in which teachers can structure their classrooms, provide a range of challenging activities, and develop their observational skills identify the intellectual strengths of their students, particularly through the use of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory as a framework for recognizing children's intellectual strengths.…

Investigated the role of classroom characteristics and preschool children's complex interactions with teachers, objects and peers. Found that complex interactions with objects were most probable in dramatic play and in art activities with the teacher present. Complex peer interactions were rare, but complex teacher interactions were probable in…

Reports findings of a two-year study of undergraduates at a United Kingdom university concerning the development and implementation of a general-purpose computer-based assessment (CBA) system. Results of questionnaires, observations, interviews, and a comparative analysis of student scores in conventional examinations and computer-based…

Describes an activity in which students make careful observations about earwigs, then design their own questions for further investigation. (WRM)