This research provides lengthy proof of a principle of social science known as Campbell's law: "The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor." Applying…

This book explores the embodied narrative knowledge that educators hold and express in context and call forth in situations. It is about teachers and principals living and telling and reliving and retelling stories intuitively developed around metaphors borrowed from classical literature, music, drama, mythology, and children's literature to…

This manual contains techniques for creating successful teaching and learning environments in diverse elementary classrooms. Using humor, drawings, and a conversational tone, it provides suggestions for teaching effectively and efficiently. Special highlights include five-steps-or-less strategies that can be adapted into any classroom, an outline…

This thesis presents research that compares the ways students and lecturers of the Lisbon Polytechnic Institute (IPL) perceive and value effectiveness and creativity in teaching. Creativity can be defined in several ways; in this context, it is related to the effectiveness of a teacher. The document discusses results in light of the IPL's goals of…

Observation of English and social studies classes revealed differences in classroom processes and interactions, due to differences in ways in which peer and student-teacher interactions were encouraged or controlled. The research demonstrated the importance of microanalytic studies of classrooms in desegregated settings. (Author/MJL)

Postulates that effective performance is part of a cyclical process. First, teacher effort overcomes job-related stressors and achieves valued outcomes and rewards as determined by teacher perception of student needs. This success increases teacher satisfaction, involvement, and motivation. These in turn increase teacher effort and lead to more…

Presents a personal perspective of a young teacher from a rural background and his experiences teaching music in an all-boys high school in New York City's South Bronx. Includes brief recommendations for creative and innovative ideas to motivate students and keep them focused. (MJP)

A model postulating a relationship between faculty research activity, instructor behaviors, and student achievement is advanced, based on two causal models, one linking research activity and instructional effectiveness and another validating student evaluations as good indicators of instructional effectiveness, as measured by student achievement.…

Characterizes a number of cherished beliefs regarding early childhood art education as myths and argues that their continued use impedes educational reform. These include a belief in art as therapy, the inherent validity of childhood expression, the superiority of process over product, and limited intervention by teachers. (MJP)

This study examined teaching practices in four suburban high school advanced placement (AP) American History classrooms using case study methodology. Results indicated that more effective teachers distributed and asked more questions, had higher engagement rates, had greater feedback on assignments, and had greater participation and success rates.…

Observations and interviews with preservice elementary teachers examined their beliefs, conceptions, and practices and their views of mathematical and pedagogical content knowledge, noting whether they changed during a mathematics methods course. Results revealed symbiotic relationships between their views of content knowledge and their…

Reports on a national survey of 207 undergraduate economics instructors. Although the lecture method still dominates, many instructors noted that they had integrated more participatory activities such as class discussions, group activities, and instructor questions into their instruction. Includes statistical tables showing characteristics and…

Outlines principles and guidelines for creating productive choral rehearsals and provides examples of each. These include pre-planning and organizing the rehearsal, following a synthesis-analysis-synthesis model, stressing "doing," keeping the rehearsal challenging and unpredictable, and focusing on positive improvement. (MJP)

Describes and synthesizes the findings of 11 case studies which comprise the Exemplary Practice in Science and Mathematics Education Study. Reports four assertions in which exemplary teachers used strategies for management, encouraging students to participate, increasing understanding of science and math, and maintaining a favorable classroom…

Compares class size and faculty rating by students. Warns that certain instructors may not be effective with large class size (>100) but may be very effective with small class size. Infers that some poor large class instructors do not improve with time. (MVL)