This study examines teachers' classroom practices in response to the support for teacher thinking in the materials and designs a systematic research method for observing classroom teaching consistent with reform recommendations and adaptable for use on a large scale. The development of a method to evaluate complex classroom observations that…

In a project on the development of performance assessments in science, researchers have developed four types of assessment: comparative, component identification, classification, and observation. They have noted that assessments belonging to the same type of task can be scored for the same performance properties. This paper reports on the…

Employing participant observation methodology, this paper analyzes a 4-hour meeting held among the representatives of a large religious organization in Taiwan. The analysis focuses on the influence of seniority on the Chinese decision making process. Five components of decision making proposed by Stewart (1985) and Kume (1985) were used for the…

This book contains three essays on teaching outdoors about the natural world and engaging students in the natural and cultural history of their communities. An introduction, "To Learn from Wood and Stone" (Ann Zwinger), discusses the opportunities that arise when a teacher makes connections between the classroom world and the world…

This article includes the contents of a paper presented at the 1999 National Staff Development Conference, then summarizes data collected from attendees of that conference session in response to a written survey distributed and completed during the session. The conference session explained that paraeducators require training, but there is concern…

In separate interviews, Andrew, Ellen, and Caroline, English teachers from the same high school, each pause thoughtfully when asked about how their students respond to literature. Each day, they work carefully with scores of students--organizing lessons, reading together, observing and assessing student work. A study sought to place teachers'…

This paper presents a "thick description" of a phonics lesson delivered to a first grade classroom (n=18) by the teacher. Following the description, the paper presents analyses from the following different perspectives: (1) the definition of reading; (2) curriculum from a critical point of view; (3) reading and culture; (4) teachers and…

This study looks for support for the suggestion in the Speech Learning Model that the phonetic category established in childhood for a first language (L1) sound may evolve gradually if it is linked perceptually to a second language (L2) sound. Assessed here is voice onset time (VOT) in two groups of five bilingual (English and Japanese) speakers,…

Although multicultural education is misunderstood by many and feared by some, it has been embraced by educators throughout the world as a necessary approach to preparing the next generation for the complexities of the 21st century. A study explored the work of three Catholic secondary religion teachers, who use multicultural strategies in their…

Participant observation is a classic qualitative methodology in which the researcher is immersed in the particular setting as a participant, rather than an outside observer. In this pilot study of an Even Start program, the methodology was modified by using actual program participants as observers and reporters. This enabled the crossing of…

An observation study examined four dimensions of beginning teacher practice that had been heavily emphasized in the first year of a partial internship program and that typically pose problems for first year teachers. These dimensions included: (1) literacy instruction; (2) instructional planning; (3) positive classroom environments and management;…

A case study examined the beliefs and theories of a high school social studies teacher and the life experiences he used to explain how he came to hold those beliefs. Examining the teacher's beliefs and theories and also the experiential roots of these theories offers greater potential for illuminating the role of teacher biography in curriculum…

The Work Sampling System is a performance assessment system that is used in preschool through fifth grade to document and assess children's skills, knowledge, behavior, and accomplishments across curriculum areas. This teacher's manual explains the use of the Work Sampling System in the following chapters: (1) "Introducing the Work Sampling…

This book presents a new method for English Language Arts teachers to assess student learning using authentic assessment techniques. It instructs on the implementation of the processes of Hypothesizing and Testing on a one-on-one basis, in order to better understand how children learn. Section 1 ("What Is the Hypothesis-Test Process?")…

The Cynon Valley Project in Wales, United Kingdom, used funding from the Save the Children Fund and the Bernard van Leer Foundation to address consequences of economic decline in the two communities of Fernhill and Perthcelyn. The project's focus was on early childhood education and community development. Though starting at about the same time and…