This report discusses the question of the appropriateness of teacher behaviors in relation to both the counting of frequencies of teacher behaviors and the interpretation of the impact of teacher behaviors on student learning. The recent focus, in research on teaching, on the counting of teacher behaviors gives rise to a concern for the meaning as…

As part of the development of a classroom interaction observation instrument, this report presents the results of a comparative study of group interaction in contrasting educational environments (open and traditional) with children of different socioeconomic backgrounds (middle and lower classes). Additionally, problems of adequately assessing…

To develop a comprehensive teacher observation instrument, 56 school practitioners submitted 200 critical incidents--descriptions and judgments of their observations of teacher-pupil interactions in the classroom. Five teacher roles emerged: instructional facilitator; instructional manager; instructional evaluator; instructional designer; and…

As part of the Competency Based Teacher Certification Project in Carroll County, Georgia, large samples of elementary and secondary school teachers and students were observed during a two-year period. Four low-inference observation measures were used to record teacher behaviors and student-teacher interactions: (1) Teacher Practices Observation…

This report presents the results of a year-long pre- and postinstitute evaluation of the 6-week summer workshop for 221 primary grade teachers of disadvantaged children from 41 different New York City schools. The report is organized around the findings obtained from each of nine evaluation instruments and checklists used to measure (1) changes in…

Videotaping was used to analyze both video and audio components of the teaching-learning process with educable mentally retarded (EMR) children. Fifteen teachers, both inexperienced and experienced, made 31 pilot tapes, teaching one retarded and one normal child each the single, new concept of a hexagon. The 31 children included 14 EMR (ages 9-2…

Although specific procedures for "participant observation" (PO) vary, it is always based on the principle that while the observer (O) will adopt preconceived structural outlines and dimensional scales in the course of his summary, he--rather than any outlines or scales--is the instrument for inferring data. Applications of modified PO…

Inservice self-study was utilized to improve the qualitative level of classroom method among teachers of the gifted. Ten judges selected 45 of 75 elementary and secondary teachers by a rating scale of significant behaviors, classroom observation ratings, the Weiner Attitude Scale, and the Terman Concept Mastery Test. The 45 were considered…

This report reviews 3 demonstration studies in which the Topic Classification System of classroom interaction analysis (a system of analyzing teacher objectives and student performance) was applied to 3 samples of classroom behaviors to determine the range and limitations of the system. In the introduction the system is discussed with reference to…

The purpose of this study was to describe fully day care programs, to find factors predictive of differences in programs, and to evaluate the effectiveness of day care centers. Teachers in 50 randomly selected day care centers in Los Angeles were observed for four 20-minute periods daily for 10 days. The results indicated the following points:…

A logical model derived from Piaget, Gagne, and Ausubel was used to derive eight areas of teaching behaviors. A list of 74 teacher behaviors was generated to match the model. Behaviors were assessed in classroom settings for 150 secondary school mathematics and science student teachers. Paper-and-pencil measures were also employed. Data were…

This report presents the results of an extensive needs assessment conducted by the Lanier County (Georgia) Public Schools as one stage in the development of a comprehensive education plan for the county's schools. The major intent of the needs assessment was to determine to what degree the schools were implementing their stated philosophy of…

This document presents in graphic form a system of interaction analysis, in which methods are presented for the teacher to study his teaching behavior in terms of the behavioral objectives he has established for himself. A summary of categories of interaction analysis is provided, which are labeled as indirect and direct influence. The former…

A student's self-image is his most precious possession. Yet this image is constantly threatened in a language class (or anywhere else). Some threats come from the foreignness of the language, others from the power imbalance between student and teacher, others from the student's failure to live up to what he expects of himself. All of these threats…

Although classroom "openness" has been much discussed in recent years, there has been little effort to investigate to what degree this openness occurs within a general sample of classrooms. The purpose of this study is to identify significant attributes of classroom activity and organization relevant to the concepts of "traditional" and "open" and…