A number of teachers have for some years been creating lesbian and gay-inclusive college-level composition courses. Teachers who create such courses do so because it is intrinsic to their notion of good teaching, which includes the goal of fostering students' personal relationships with the written word. Many of these teachers often speak of…

A study investigated teaching assistants' beliefs about the first day of class, the intersection between their beliefs and expectations, and the strategies they plan to use. Subjects were 12 teaching assistants (TAs) assigned to teach an introductory or intermediate level public speaking course to university undergraduates. Five teaching…

Writing teachers are constantly confronted with the problem of forming effective responding strategies to help student writing improve. Even though the way writing is taught has shifted from a product- to a process-oriented approach, teachers' responding practices seem particularly resistant to modification. "Practitioner lore" suggests…

A study examined a segment of classroom discourse in light of: (1) the complexity of an I-R-E (Initiation-Reply-Evaluation) sequence; (2) the teacher's role as facilitator; and (3) the similarities and differences between mundane conversation and classroom discourse. In addition, the intricacies of interaction between teachers and students in the…

The instruction of six teachers in a private school (Benchmark) for bright underachievers that is characterized by a strategic teaching initiative, strong instructional leadership, and collegiality was examined to characterize the nature of instructional dialogue. Lesson transcripts were coded for the presence and organization of eight…

Many researchers have begun to investigate possible predictors for the problems that beginning teachers may or may not face early in their career (often many of the problems faced are related to establishing and maintaining 'order' in the classroom). Two broad factors related to this problem were identified: (1) interpersonal aspect of teacher…

Emerging from a series of research studies, the WRAp (Writing and Reading Appreciation) program is designed to motivate reading and writing in the elementary classroom. The WRAp program includes: (1) the design of literacy centers; (2) teacher-modeled activities with children's literature; and (3) a period for independent reading and writing…

A qualitative study focused on the experiences of 20 teachers required to use portfolio assessment in a summer program for at-risk kindergarten and first-grade students. Three questions guided data collection: What types of information did the teachers aggregate?; What definition of literacy emerged from the acquired information?; and What guided…

A parent of a kindergarten child in Texas began observing her child's classroom when she noticed that the whole language instructional approach described to parents before the beginning of school was apparently not being implemented as stated. The parent was surprised when her child's teacher suggested, after only six weeks of instruction, that…

A 1991 survey questioned 61 teachers on the ways they were using collaborative learning to teach composition. Comparisons with a 1988 survey showed that the biggest increase was in the use of collaborative drafting strategies. Increases also occurred in focusing, prewriting, and editing, and there were slight decreases in revision and…

A descriptive study determined the extent to which the language experience approach (LEA) is used in the kindergarten and first grades of six northwest Bergen County, New Jersey, school districts. Anonymous surveys were mailed to all kindergarten and first-grade teachers in these districts. Forty-five (63%) of the surveys were returned. Results…

This study investigated the way in which different programs deal with the often conflicting requirements for structure and individual freedom in preschool education. Several programs were observed and evaluated. Background issues discussed include the issue of whether teachers or children determine which activities will be undertaken; the…

The language use and interactions of limited English proficient Chinese American first graders and their two teachers were analyzed. One teacher was bilingual; the other was not. The study consisted of three phases: identification of speech events, recording and analysis of speech acts during teacher-directed lessons, and followup of target…

The authors present a quick and simple procedure for observing four behaviors relevant to classroom management: student disruption, student attention, and the teacher's use of both positive and negative events. The procedure utilizes paraprofessionals as raters and is validated by high interrater reliabilities. (Author/EJT)