The patterns of thought and behavior used by a teacher as he "created" a discussion with a group of gifted/talented children were examined. A cognitive map illustrates the techniques used to further the discussion. The teacher's use of professional practical knowledge (knowledge about teaching that was gained from experience) is…

Synthesizes research on teaching expertise from physical education and other fields, offering two examples of expertise-related topics in physical education (the importance of personal performance skills and observational skills). The paper discusses cognitive, behavioral, and mixed indicators of expertise. Methodological problems in undertaking…

Four expert high school special education resource teachers were observed providing classroom instruction. Content analysis of postobservation interview transcripts was used to identify the presence of 124 reflective practice indicators in the subjects' instructional decisions: 49 for personal responsibility, 39 for testing, and 36 for problem…

Considers the various meanings of action research historically and as it is currently manifested. Notes that, in attempting to define action research and to use it for the diverse goals of teacher professionalization, improved knowledge, and social justice, researchers sometimes overlook teachers' struggles with implementation and outside…

Contends that geographers in North America, Australia, continental Europe, and developing nations generally teach larger classes than do British geographers. Asserts that British higher education is being transformed from an elite system to a mass educational system. Presents suggestions for teaching large classes. (CFR)

Reviews research on the personal dimensions of teaching and how teaching can be enriched by conceiving of it as a reflective and moral practice. Concludes that teacher behaviors can translate specifically into enacted social values such as civility, effort, and appreciation of subject-matter. (CFR)

A microanalytic description of teachers' interactions with children suggests that the sociomoral atmospheres of three types of classrooms differ considerably. Children in the direct-instruction classroom experience an almost totally unilateral relationship with the teacher; in the constructivist classroom, there is more reciprocity and intimacy;…

DeVries' study of sociomoral development in direct-instruction, eclectic, and constructivist kindergartens is critiqued. Additional research in such areas as class-to-class and child-to-child variations and interpersonal negotiations in nonclassroom contexts is recommended. (LB)

Discusses the many different things teachers can do with book introductions to give children better access to a new story so that they can read it fluently and independently at the first reading. (MG)

Twenty-eight children with and without disabilities were observed during free play in integrated early childhood programs, and associations among program quality indicators and children's play were analyzed. The study attempted to predict dynamic/process measures of program quality (teacher behavior) from global and structural measures of quality…

Preliminary evidence supports the construct validity of two versions of the Simulation of Interactive Decision Making (group tests of interactive teaching competencies that simulate classroom decision making processes more realistically than traditional tests). Evidence of construct validity reflects differences among subjects with various amounts…

A longitudinal study was made of elementary and secondary schools struggling to introduce global perspectives into teaching. This article examines how meanings that different teachers attributed to global education affected their behavior in adapting to change and the effects of competing demands on teachers' time; notes the importance of…

Views the recent efforts at school restructuring and educational reform as promoting mechanistic education and measurement-driven instruction. Contends that teacher autonomy actually has been reduced because student assessment is now the responsibility of outside experts. Calls for a restructuring process that returns collaborative decision making…

The effects of class size and availability of physical education equipment on students' and teachers' classroom behaviors were studied. The academic learning time-physical education instrument was used in primary-school physical-education classes in Queensland (Australia) containing 12, 24, and 44 5- and 6-year olds. These variables affected…

Describes in detail how a writing instructor in an English secondary school imposed his view of reality on a Bangladeshi boy when correcting the boy's writing. Suggests that schools must work hard to develop and adopt new styles of pedagogy to avoid ethnocentrism in the classroom. (PRA)