Suggests a method of evaluating teachers that includes a daily lesson plan form to be completed by the teachers being evaluated. The form lists the general and specific objectives of the class period, the concepts involved, teaching methods and teaching materials, and the methods for testing the students. (Author/RW)

Examines observational skills for use in working with children and suggests ways students or practicing teachers can develop those skills. Specific techniques discussed are the running record or specimen description, checklists employing operational definitions, time sampling, event sampling or anecdotal records, and the informal interview. (RH)

Reports on observations in 34 class periods of six elementary teachers teaching spelling. Notes that much of the time was not devoted to actual instruction. Reviews the methods of spelling instruction that research has found effective and recommends ways that administrators can help improve spelling instruction, including classroom observation.…

Compared two analogue strategies--videotaped role-play and naturalistic scenes--for assessing children's social skills to determine if they would yield different response styles. Results indicated more behaviors occurred in the role-play strategy than in the naturalistic strategy, and judges assigned higher ratings of likability in the role-play…

Tested several hypotheses relating to a theory incorporating distinctive characteristics of interdisciplinary task groups. Observed an interdisciplinary task team for 28 weekly meetings. Recorded seating and major interactions of participants. Presents guidelines for the conduct of interdisciplinary groups. (RC)

Reviews previous work in training observers for collecting observational counseling data. Outlines a nine-step Systematic Rater Training Model, which includes overview and contract, concept presentation, stimulation, modeling, passive discrimination, active discrimination, production, transfer of training to performance, and ongoing evaluation.…

Observation of one sixth-grade teacher's classroom decision making, using videotaping and interviews, revealed that decision making occurred frequently during each lesson, comprised mostly instructional and managerial decisions, and was based more on teacher assessments of students' states of mind than on teacher knowledge. (RW)

Presents an annotated bibliography of ERIC resources on the following topics: teacher communication; research on classroom interaction; using systematic observations to improve teaching; different systems of classroom observations; and research on classroom observation techniques. (PD)

Narrates a principal's first full-day observation by her superintendent. Notes the lessons learned (to keep half of one's time unscheduled, get the unvarnished truth, and apply management techniques in one's own way) and describes the observation process, including the postobservation conference and a written summary by the person observed.…

A secondary analysis was conducted to test the validity of five behaviors from five classroom observation systems: approves/praises; asks questions; criticizes/disapproves; gives directions; and presents facts or judgments. Scores for each were intercorrelated and arranged in a multitrait-multimethod matrix. Evidence was found of construct…

One stationary camera with an audio-video taping system permitted systematic comparisons of staff-initiated touching in relation to naturalistic variations in the physical appearances of patients, and the sex, age, and social statuses of interaction partners at a home for the Jewish aged. This procedure is discussed with regard to the…

From the assumption that all social reality can be usefully viewed as the processes whereby people act and interact in everyday life, this paper argues that the macroanalysis characterizing most comparative education research must be replaced by systematic observation and analysis of the microcosmic world of everyday school life. (Author/SJL)

Suggests ways of judging teacher performance based on the five basic steps in the teacher evaluation process: (1) gathering information and making judgments; (2) holding the evaluation conference; (3) identifying areas needing improvement; (4) providing assistance; and (5) guiding the teacher out of teaching if improvement cannot be made.…

The Pediatric Examination of Educational Readiness, a standardized observation system which combines a prekindergarten physical examination with a neurodevelopmental and behavioral assessment, was field tested on 386 children, of whom 22 percent revealed a "definite concern" in one area of development or behavior, 8 percent in two, and…

Behavioral assessment methods for measuring the social development of exceptional children include teacher nominations, rankings, rating scales, and checklists. Use of direct observation procedures in analogue (simulated) and naturalistic settings can pinpoint antecedents and consequences of social behavior and provide goals for intervention. (CL)