Observations of 90 lessons reveal the limitations of the whole-class discussion, the dominant teaching method in elementary and secondary schools. In addition to producing a low percentage of student involvement, rarely more than 50%, teachers' questions and answer techniques do not usually stimulate critical thinking. Besides most often asking…

This is a collection of school improvement materials from the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NREL) school improvement research series. A topical synthesis, two "close-ups," and four "snapshots" focus on core aspects of early childhood education (ECE) and elementary education. The topical synthesis examines: (1) what…

This practical reference guide for college faculty who teach large classes is presented, based on a workshop on improving teaching and learning in large classes. The workshop involved weekly meetings for the academic year, 1981-82, at Colorado State University. The following problems of teaching and learning in large classes were identified: (1)…

This digest considers the role of personal computers in the education of gifted students. There is evidence that students are working "smarter," whether they are learning and using more information, understanding key concepts and relationships better, or developing higher level thinking skills. Research findings concerning the specific…

The result of the Writing across the Curriculum Project at Minneapolis Community College, this handbook provides teachers with effective, efficient, and practical suggestions for crafting good writing assignments in content area classrooms. In general, the book encourages teachers to ask good questions and to experiment with writing. Respectively,…

Questioning patterns in dialogue journal interactions of two groups of sixth graders are analyzed. One of the two groups was made up of native English speakers, while the other consisted of beginning learners of English as a second language. The analysis finds a pattern of shared interaction very different from that found in numerous studies of…

Suggestions for instructional improvement are offered to science teachers in this compilation of research summaries which addresses specific areas of science education. This series examines the topic areas of: (1) computer use in science instruction (reviewing five categories of computer use which focus on the learner); (2) the role of the…

Focusing on teaching situations with varying degrees of teacher knowledge, an interpretive study examined the effects of science teacher subject-matter knowledge on classroom questioning and other forms of discourse. Four biology and life science teachers participated in the first year of two year-long studies (the second is in progress). All of…

All first, second, and third grade teachers in one rural southwestern school district were observed to find out (1) what they were doing while their reading groups read stories, (2) whether they changed their teaching strategies when they changed reading groups, and (3) whether their strategies during story reading changed from grade to grade.…

A study investigated whether reading comprehension would improve if children were made aware of story grammar and were asked schema-related questions. Subjects were 33 fifth grade students, half scoring on or above grade level and half scoring below grade level on the reading section of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests. During 11 sessions, 45…

Research has shown that wait-time (the amount of silence between teacher and student echances) is a part of an interdependent student-teacher interaction system and that the manipulation of this variable has measurable effects on teacher input variables, student outcome variables, and acquisition variables. Since the acquisition of extended…

A guide to good lecturing is presented for medical school teachers. It is suggested that the first step in encouraging active listening is to fulfill a clearly stated purpose. The lecturer is advised to ask the following questions: What is the listener supposed to know as a result of the lecture? What is the listener supposed to feel, value, or…

This manual summarizes and highlights basic considerations in interviewing children. The relationship between interviewing for data collection and interviewing within the counseling or psychotherapeutic context is discussed. The Interviewer's Functional Checklist is presented to provide a method for self-evaluating interviewer behavior, and for…

Children are capable of good thinking, asking perceptive questions, ferreting out implications, making applications, formulating conclusions, and making valid predictions and evaluations. Evidence indicates that these capabilities can be improved by teaching children about questions and questioning. Before such questioning strategies have much…

A tutor training program manual that is used at Bowie State College is presented. The manual covers the following: tutoring program objectives; general tutoring principles; general procedures the tutor should follow; including contacting the student and establishing rapport, guidelines concerning the tutors' attitudes and behavior; a few points to…