Examines kindergarten children's use of talk during writing to draw inferences regarding how children use speech to make sense of written language. (HOD)

Reconceptualizes the diagnosis of reading problems, suggesting that a focus on process, prior experience, and observation during assessment will permit a more valid evaluation of readers' abilities. (FL)

Describes a project at the University of Zimbabwe undertaken to develop, evaluate, and publish teaching materials for use with small groups of teacher trainees in an emerging nation. Learning resources in Zimbabwe, the types of materials produced by the project, and evaluation of learning materials are among the topics discussed. (JL)

Beginning teachers often experience "transition shock," a paradoxical situation in which they do not know how to apply theories they learned to classroom situations. A case is described showing a young teacher's dilemma regarding disciplinary actions to be taken with a student. (JN)

Investigated relationship between lesson content and participation of pupils in rural India primary schools. Spontaneous participation in teacher-directed classrooms (N=136) was shown to be correlated with time spent by teachers in relating textbook content to pupils' natural experience. Experiments and teaching aids were also useful in drawing…

The consequences of using alternative measures of time and achievement are examined in an observational study of 18 elementary school classes. The extent to which choice of the same model linking time and learning for all students was implicated in the inconsistent results is examined. (Author/GK)

Points out that all good teachers can use kidwatching in the classroom to monitor children's knowledge and growth in literacy. (JL)

Observed the social communication and task relevant behaviors of 80 kindergarten and first-grade children, each of whom was assigned to do a task with either a friend or a nonfriend. Results showed that friends exhibited less sharing and communicative behaviors and more task relevant behaviors. An explanatory model is suggested to account for…

Four principles for arranging successful field experiences in health are: (1) Organize the experience as a partnership involving the student, faculty member, and health practitioner; (2) Require regular feedback from students; (3) Provide the student with input from the health practitioner; and (4) Observe and evaluate the students in the field.…

The faculty of the human behavior course at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, when evaluated by their students, received high ratings. It is hypothesized that the success of these teachers comes from their ability to create an atmosphere that encourages student participation in discussion groups regardless of topic. (MLW)

Attempts to clarify the epistemological basis of interaction analysis by exploring the modes of observation researchers adopt when using interaction coding schemes and outlining the validation requirements these options entail. Modes of observation include the viewpoint of the experiencer, the process of experiencing, and what is experienced. (JAC)

An ecological study of the quantity and distribution of language among children in nursery schools is reported. Two different situations, one in which the presence of the adult is incidental and the other in which the adult assumes a teaching role, are analyzed for categories of verbalization by the children. (Author)

Study I examined activity spans in four types of preschool establishments. Overall span was greatest in the nursery school and lowest in the day nursery. Study II examined attention spans in a primary school. Both studies demonstrated the influence of adults in increasing children's attention. (Author/SJL)

Observation of undergraduate students in an anthropology course was used to evaluate the impacts of learning strategies, group size, and sex composition of groups on successful interaction with a computer simulation. Sixteen references are listed. (Author/LLS)

Clinical supervision focuses on helping teachers improve their performance through the analysis of observed events in the classroom and postobservation critiques. (Author/MLF)