Describes how the author, an elementary school principal, has changed his observational style and shifted his focus when visiting classrooms and evaluating teachers, as a result of his growing ethnographic understanding of classrooms as cultures and communities. (SR)

Investigates the interobserver agreement of the Learning Behavior Scale (LBS) by educators (n=16) observing students in special-education classes (n=72). No significant observer effect was found. Moreover, the LBS produced comparable levels of differential learning styles for assessments of individual children. (Author/MKA)

Considers the significance of the disappearance of close reading. Looks briefly at the devastation wrought by certain "gangster theories"--indeterminacy, misreading, and the idea that people all tell stories (all knowledge is determined by the situation in which people find themselves). Suggests that close reading and close observation…

Criticizes the account of observation given by Alan Chalmers in "What Is This Thing Called Science?" and provides an alternative based on direct realist approaches to perception. Contains 15 references. (Author/WRM)

Examined processes by which 4- and 5-year-olds initiate, organize, and maintain language play interactions. Found that as children voice incongruities of greater proportion, the emotional climate of play is heightened and ingenious verbal representations are provoked. Identified developmental features of hyperbolic language play. Contextualized…

To maintain a stimulating learning environment, a variety of teaching strategies must be used, and teachers must be constantly aware of what is going on in the classroom. Ways to become a skilled observer include using a skill goal improvement schedule, monitoring the physical environment, and learning to read nonverbal signs. (JOW)

Responses from 452 (78.8%) accredited baccalaureate nursing schools showed that 358 used classroom observations to evaluate faculty. Among 89 faculty surveyed there was great disparity in the weight given to observation compared to other methods. The purpose, weight, and number of evaluative observations need more clarification. (SK)

The drama hike is a walk in the woods, in which children observe nature and engage in an imaginative search for a "lost civilization" or "strange creatures." Instructions cover scouting out the area beforehand, preparing the children, leading the hike, followup activities, suggestions for creative sites, ideas for language and…

Naturalistically observed 52 preschoolers' responses to their crying peers. Found that variations in preschoolers' ways of responding were related to the children's temperament, friendship status, and interactive style with peers. (Author/BC)

Describes the role of observational research in the assessment of children's peer-related social competence and the conceptual frameworks that serve as a foundation for observational assessment of children's social goals. Describes technological advances that allow more descriptive, precise, and complex behavioral codes. Provides an example of an…

Presents a philosophical grounding for valuation in educational administration. It is based on a naturalistic perspective that shows how scientific methods and relevant concepts and explanations can be used in situations requiring moral deliberation. Examples illustrate how administrators can use tentative explanations and consequence analysis to…

Discusses a game and related activities to help students develop observation and inference skills. (MKR)

Studied whether gender differences resulted in different teaching styles. Three male and three female teachers were observed during a lesson. Focus was on giving instructions and dealing with problems, and participants were rated according to whether gender influenced their teaching style. (Author/VWL)

Describes the educational benefits of walkthroughs (unscheduled classroom visits) by principals. Provides walkthrough procedures and observation questions. (PKP)

A multicultural adaptation of Hanson's original group process observation guidelines is presented. Several multicultural sensitizer items are added to each original process observation category. A system for processing and discussing these expanded observations within a fishbowl design is detailed. Experimentation with these sensitizers in a…