This issue of the Australian Early Childhood Association Research in Practice Series focuses on the ethical dilemmas encountered by those working in early childhood services in Australia. The booklet details some common ethical dilemmas and contains the text of the AECA Code of Ethics. The booklet includes background information on the code,…

Building on previous work that showed the importance of discussion for teaching literature and that discussion in low-achieving high school English classes is particularly infrequent (Nystrand, 1997), this study investigated a low-achieving class that featured regular discussions to gain insights into how dialogically organized instruction emerged…

It is viable to argue that literacy can be construed as a set of culturally-based discursive practices rather than as merely a set of cognitive skills. This idea has special relevance for students with learning disabilities, who often struggle with more traditional, individually-based curricular approaches. This study explored the ways in which an…

Historical information about how teachers have taught over the past century was reviewed to determine what patterns of teacher behavior have persisted over time, despite reformers' efforts to change them. Although there were periods of change during the 1920s and the 1960s, teacher-centered instruction reasserted itself after reform efforts…

Supervising teachers need to share specific behavioral information with student teachers concerning the use of particular behaviors and how they relate to motor learning theory and teaching style. Use of the Cole Descriptive Analysis System, an observation instrument that provides feedback about motor skills, is described. (PP)

Much school humor is more than playful behavior; it is also a form of coping behavior for both students and teachers. Humor aids in the development and formation of the self and in the preservation of dignity and self-esteem, even though it sometimes does so through the humiliation of another. (IS)

University teachers have a social responsibility to help other citizens, both inside and outside the classroom, formulate reasoned principles for themselves; for a faculty member to be an advocate for particular substantive positions is inconsistent with this responsibility. A checklist for precision in essay writing is appended. (MSE)

A code of ethics must legitimate the interests of academics by showing, at least, that good academic practice is auditable, serves society at large, and avoids conflicts of interest; is instructionally effective and evaluatively responsible; and is differentiated according to specializations, whose competencies are certified and relationships…

College faculty and freshmen program participated in a study of the effect of teachers' preference for complexity and tolerance to ambiguity. Teachers who preferred high complexity classroom interaction maintained significantly more verbal responses in the higher levels of cognition, thereby challenging student thinking. (PP)

Reviews literature from humanistic authors that focuses on teacher and situational characteristics conducive to the transmittal of important academic material to the students, while simultaneously enhancing their growth as individuals. (Author/RC)

The traditional practice of having students read or respond to questions in turn is questioned. Research suggests that teacher effectiveness improves when teachers clearly explain the task at hand before children respond. (PP)

Reports the results of a questionnaire on student attitudes toward being referred to a writing lab and recommends that writing instructors be more sensitive to concerns of those students. (AEA)

Cognitive style and teaching technique were studied when 25 doctoral students taught a class session within their field of study and a session outside it. Out-of-field teaching produced anxiety that students attempt to overcome by going to more structured fields and using more formal and traditional teaching methods. (Author/MSE)

Reports on a study in which attempts were made to instantiate the same task in a series of classroom lessons and activities and which used two process coding systems to evaluate teacher performance. Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each type of coding system. (FL)