In 1982 an experimental program of weekly school observations was added to the required Education Psychology course for elementary education students in their junior year at Nazareth College of Rochester, New York. The program was extended to include secondary education students in 1985. Weekly reports from student observers became an important…

Egon G. Guba and Yvonna S. Lincoln were among the first to develop a set of extensive criteria for establishing naturalistic inquiry as a disciplined research methodology. The naturalistic paradigm--also called post-positivist, ethnographic, phenomenological, and qualitative--has gained acceptance as a legitimate alternative to the previously…

The family is an obvious group for whom problem solving effectiveness holds importance. Problem solving interaction refers to the manner in which the behavior of family members is organized to resolve situations in which there is an unachieved but attainable goal, and the means to overcoming the barriers to achieving the goal are not apparent, but…

There are two types of literacy: mechanical literacy and critical literacy. Those who teach mechanical literacy use language to oppress, while those who teach critical literacy use language to liberate. The mechanical view of literacy oppresses because it encourages passivity and acceptance of authority, places a disproportionate emphasis on…

The aim of this booklet is to: (1) help prepare British teachers for the challenge of having a hearing-impaired child in regular classes; (2) provide practical advice for these teachers to use in the classroom; and (3) suggest further sources of information and reading. Chapters provide information on: support services for hearing impaired…

The use of the instructional module in college teaching is discussed. The module is an independent learning package that emphasizes students' learning activities rather than teacher activities. Along with independent modular activities such as reading, writing, discussing, and problem solving, students can use more class time to write, inquire,…

This paper examines two major questions regarding the use of manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics in the elementary school. First, what does recent research indicate about this topic? It was found that research predominately favors the use of manipulatives with strong support for the use of appropriate kinds of manipulatives for the…

This booklet is designed to introduce computers to children. A letter to parents is provided, explaining that a unit on computers will be taught which will discuss the major parts of the computer and programming in the computer language BASIC. Suggestions for teachers provide information on starting, the binary system, base two worksheet, binary…

This paper focuses on critically analyzing both the potential and the problems of practitioner action research as a means of genuine professional development for classroom teachers today. Action research is a process of systematic inquiry and of knowledge, skill, and attitude growth in which classroom teachers on either an individual or…

The Multiple-Strategies Model offers teachers eight instructional prescriptions, which when allied with an appropriate strategy, can lead to effective teaching. The presecriptive elements are generic in nature and, therefore, can be used successfully in virtually any instructional setting. The eight instructional prescriptions include: set,…

Both evaluators and storytellers pull together the events they hear and see; they create unified, coherent entities out of the parts they gather. This guide considers two levels at which the understanding of the nature and methods of narrative writing, or storytelling, can be of use to the evaluator. The highest level is to use the notion of…

The reading scores of urban disadvantaged students have risen over the past 15 years, which may be attributable to special programs which have focused on strengthening the rudimentary skills. Whether reading achievement is dependent on students' mastery of standard English is an unresolved issue, but a number of instructional methods have been…

The English as a Second Language (ESL) method variously described as communicative methodology, communicative approach, or Communicative Language Teaching refers to a focus on the use of language to communicate. A communicative approach recognizes that the yield or payoff for a learner is related to the opportunities given the student for…

This paper provides an overview of the results of a 20-month review of the popular, professional, and research literature on dual-career couples undertaken to advance the theory and practice of career counseling with dual-career couples. The results described have direct application to assessing normative dilemmas and themes that occur during…

The act of composition is based on perception, selection, and arrangement in time and space of what is seen. How the world is seen depends on experience, memory, sensibility, discriminative powers, sexual identity, and cultural and historical contexts. Students can learn to understand how their personality affects what they see by maintaining…