Peer coaching is a method for improving instructor effectiveness in which educators work together to implement experiential strategies or achieve individual educational goals through a systematic process of classroom observation and feedback. Peer coaching has two main goals: the improvement of experiential education and the development of an…

The issue of how a child constructs higher order, logical mathematical intelligence within the context of a multiple-intelligences classroom is explored in this story. Teacher journal observations of one 5th-grade child are woven with selected literature on multiple intelligences and research trends in elementary mathematics education. The story…

A 9-month naturalistic study of 16 preschoolers' classroom literacy behaviors and a related study of one student's literacy activities at home examined book-related dramatic play as an important part of the children's literacy interactions. Analyses of instances where play was related to the meanings of the books the children had read indicated…

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the ideas and beliefs of high school science students (n=37) about the processes of observation in their learning of science, and how these students approached the task of observing during their science experiments. Findings include: many students saw observation as a teacher-directed process;…

The reform of mathematics and science teaching and learning in school classrooms has been underway for the past two decades. A review of the literature performed on the ERIC CD ROM system yielded a selected bibliography of 154 items identifying several areas of current activity that are included in research and development projects focused on…

Based on a participant observation study of a full-day kindergarten in a North Carolina public school in 1994, this report argues that instructional transitions or classroom rituals act as rites of passage enabling children to disengage from their home roles, transition to school roles, and assume the moral identity of the student role. Portal…

Using a feminist and subversive perspective, a study examined the testimonies of five adult females each having experienced childhood sexual abuse. All the subjects--participants in a multi-medium art show sponsored by an urban mental health center--contacted the researcher voluntarily. Participants ranged in age from 39 to 54; sexual orientation…

Valid assessment of professional competence has proven to be an elusive goal. Objective tests, direct observation of performance, overall ratings of competence, and simulations have been tried and found wanting in one way or another. Objective test items are criticized as being unrealistic and therefore invalid. Direct observation tends to be very…

An expanded vision of evaluation is offered that accommodates the use of both descriptive information and evaluative information, and which connects evaluation in the naturalistic paradigm with evaluation in the rationalistic paradigm for making informed decisions within programs of education and development. The model of "Information Development…

In an effort to determine the underlying roots of kindergartners' unruly behavior during dismissal time, this study examined the children's conversational topics during classroom dismissal routines. Using participant observation as the primary method of data collection, researchers observed seven dismissals, each lasting approximately 45 minutes,…

A project was designed to help mainstream teachers in Grades 1-3 facilitate language learning in all students, but especially in those who have language disorders. A naturalistic study followed teachers participating in the project to examine what factors promote change in teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and practice. The overall approach to…

Although school accreditation has a long history in the United States, relatively few elementary schools have sought and attained regional accreditation status. This paper examines the issues in regional accreditation for elementary schools with a focus on the process and benefits to the individual school. Steps in the process include self-study,…

The perceptions of early elementary disabled students of their classroom learning environments were studied through multiple data collection methods. These perceptions were compared with observations of students in their learning environments (triangulated). Twelve disabled students from six classrooms were interviewed and observed, and they…

This booklet is designed to help teachers begin documenting in the classroom and is a supplement to "Windows on Learning: Documenting Young Children's Work." In that book, three "windows" were used to provide a framework for thinking about documentation: a Window on a Child's Development, a Window on a Learning Experience, and a Window for Teacher…

A study examined first-year students' out-of-class lives, focusing on the "potentially rich" environment created when students who are enrolled in a first-year seminar also live together. The students observed were members of the University of Vermont's Living and Learning Center. Both the living environment and the class were designed…