The naturalist's journal is a collection of writings and sketches that captures selected thoughts or observations of nature and represents both immediate learning and raw material that is available for more polished work. This article talks about a naturalist's journal as an effective teaching and learning tool. Creating a naturalist's journals…

The purpose of this study was to explore how three secondary content area teachers used and viewed multiple texts in their classrooms. A sociocultural perspective guided data collection, including: observation, interviews, and collection of text-related school documents, such as assignments and evidence of texts used during instruction. The data…

The purpose of this study was to examine preservice and experienced teachers' ratings and comments on teacher effectiveness and student learning after observing videotaped music classes. Comparisons were made among experience levels of observers and between focus of attention of observation. Subjects for the study included college junior and…

The purpose of this study was to examine how student teachers (STs) linked their observation and reflection skills to assist them in bridging the theory to practice gap during their elementary student teaching experience. Eight STs were videotaped on two different occasions during their elementary assignment. Immediately following the lesson, the…

This study examined the relations between preschool children's attachment security, temperament, and peer acceptance. Ninety-eight preschool children and their mothers were recruited through childcare centers in the southeast. Mothers and their children participated in two two-hour home observations. Attachment security was assessed using the…

This study examined literacy instruction in 14 first-grade classrooms of English learners (ELS) in three schools in a large urban school district in southern California over a two-year period. Pre- and posttest measures of oral-reading fluency for 186 first graders, representing 11 native languages, were the outcome data. Reading-fluency data were…

This paper is a report of a study on early school experience as part of a Teacher Education programme in Turkey. The programme requires second-year students to act as students only, observing their mentors in classrooms rather than practising teaching so that they can gain a wider view of the teaching profession. The study analyses the experiences…

The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between students' (100 children aged 8 to 12) help-seeking behavior and impulsivity. Help-seeking behavior was evaluated using a naturalistic experimental paradigm in which children were placed in a problem-solving situation and had the opportunity to seek help from the experimenter, if…

This paper is about a study into the nature of analogies recorded from three Form 2 (Grade 10) classes in Kenya, instructed by three physics teachers. Through a case study method involving classroom observation, several analogies were recorded and analysed. These analogies were predominantly "environmental" (drawn from students'…

The authors examined class size effects on teacher-pupil interactions, pupil engagement, and pupil-pupil interaction. They extended previous research by recognizing the hierarchical nature of observation data and the possible influence of other variables. The study used a time sampling method involving 257 children (aged 10-11 years) in 16 small…

The Redwood City (Calif.) School District, which comprises a diverse student population, has implemented a major professional development model for principals in order to enhance student achievement at all school sites. The model has three key components: (1) restructuring principal meetings with a primary focus on ongoing professional…

We investigated how size and depth are perceived in a plane or convex mirror. In Experiment 1, using a plane or convex mirror, 20 observers viewed a separation between two objects that were presented at a constant distance and reproduced it by a separation between other two objects in a natural viewing situation. The mean matches generally…

Purpose--Environmental assessment (EA) is a proactive planning tool designed to consider the ecological, cultural, socio-political and economic impacts of potential projects, making it a major tool for achieving sustainable development. Meaningful EA requires a bridging of the natural sciences with the social sciences to broaden understanding of…

The National Science Education Standards recognize that inquiry-based instruction holds significant promise for developing scientifically literate students. The Science Teacher Inquiry Rubric (STIR) was developed based upon the National Science Education Standards' essential features of inquiry instruction (NRC, 2000). A pilot study using a…

This paper reports on a study of classroom interaction and discourse in privately-funded schools serving low-income families in Hyderabad, India. In common with other developing countries, India has seen a proliferation of such schools and yet little systematic study has been made of them. One hundred and thirty eight lessons were analysed using a…