This speech addresses the relation of effective discipline to the pursuit of academic excellence in schools. The proposed blend of specific strategies, methods, and ways of being conducive to excellence is characterized as "three dimensional discipline." This approach involves: (1) listening to what students are thinking and feeling; (2) clearly…

A checklist to rate competencies of college reading specialists is presented, along with background information about the instrument. Based on a review of the literature on professional standards for specialists, five broad categories of competencies were developed: undergraduate training, instruction, research and measurement, administrative and…

Public and private teacher-student interactions were coded for 551 students during 10 mathematics class periods in 18 classrooms, grades 5 through 8. The observation system used was a modified version of two systems, the Brophy and Good teacher-student dyadic interaction system, and the Dweck et al. observation system to code evaluative feedback.…

This paper reviews the traditional relationship established between teaching and learning, in which teaching and teachers' concerns take focus. The maintenance of this hierarchical relationshp has resulted in a communication breakdown between educators and students, and a situation into which students have little or no input in terms of changing…

In an ethnographic study of three recently desegregated junior high schools, the pressures placed upon teachers by students in different academic tracks were analyzed. Students in each track were grouped homogeneously in terms of race, social class and academic performance. The methodology of this study consisted of utilizing students' responses…

This study was conducted to determine those competencies considered most important by cooperating teachers, student interns, and school of education faculty. Competencies from various sources were combined to form a master list of sixty-five competencies. One-hundred participants were given numbered cards with a competency printed on each. Their…

The issues discussed in these four papers concern the validity and generalizability of classroom observation instruments. These issues have been studied and are reported here in an attempt to better define the limits to which classroom observation instruments can be used in researching relationships between teacher behavior and student outcome.…

This paper consists of an examination of current thinking on the factors influencing teacher training effectiveness and of a report of preliminary findings from a study of inservice teacher education. Previous research identifies five major components of training common to most inservice programs as presentation of theory, demonstration or…

To manage classrooms successfully, teachers must monitor carefully the relationships between their own actions and those actions' intended and unintended results, since erroneous perceptions of these relationships can cause problems. Teachers can act inappropriately when their goals are mistaken, as for instance when they develop false…

Five ethnographic researchers worked with five elementary school teachers to develop individualized research topics related to teaching in multiethnic classrooms. The teachers were familiar with the ethnographers, having participated in previous naturalistic studies in their newly desegregated schools. Subjects included two teachers from a…

Generic teaching knowledge and skill is seen as a central component of preservice teacher education programs. Generic domains of teaching are the common base of knowledge and skills important to all teachers regardless of subject matter or grade level. Most classifications of generic teaching skills fall generally into one of two categories, one…

By examining the attitudes and perceptions of 1625 fifth grade students in North Carolina, this study tested the hypothesis that the way teachers treat their students can have an effect on their political attitudes. It was found that when teachers treat students fairly and show interest in their ideas and problems, students are less politically…

This series of six papers concerning the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study (BTES) starts with Teaching Behaviors, Academic Learning Time and Student Achievement: An Overview of Phase III-B of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study by the project director, Charles Fisher. As an introduction, it describes a model of classroom instruction based on…

This paper focuses on the content and evaluation of an orientation program for new foreign teaching assistants in an American college or university. The objective of the program is to familiarize the foreign teaching assistant with the sociocultural and academic differences in the university system that may cause a communication breakdown within…

AS A POLITICAL LEADER AND AS A COMMUNICATOR OF POLITICAL IDEAS TO STUDENTS, THE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER IS INVESTIGATED IN FOUR SITUATIONS--(1) REACTING TO JOB AND ENVIRONMENT, (2) PARTICIPATING IN AN INTEREST GROUP, (3) EXPRESSING POLITICAL VALUES IN CLASS, AND (4) REACTING TO COMMUNITY SANCTIONS. THE STUDY IS BASED UPON INTERVIEWS WITH 803 OREGON…