The basic communication skills of prospective teachers at the University of Georgia were assessed with knowledge and performance instruments. The knowledge instrument was a criterion referenced test in communicative arts (logical reasoning, library research, composition, language, communications media and careers, literature, reading, and oral…

In order to produce an authentic portrait of the good composition teacher, a questionnaire was sent to 36 chairs of English departments and directors of freshman English in 15 states asking for the traits, characteristics, and attitudes considered exemplary in the composition teacher. Responses varied extensively. As the "most accurate means of…

The development and implementation of a course to improve instructional skills of dental faculty members is described. Faculty involved in the pilot test of the course were interviewed one year later in regard to the impact of the course upon their teaching practices and educational philosophy. Responses were analyzed in relation to the Concerns…

This paper addresses the basic issue of what is involved in becoming the "skillfully inviting" teacher, as emphasized by William W. Purkey in his book "Inviting School Success: A Self-Concept Approach to Teaching and Learning". After a brief introduction, some basic psychological and ethical assumptions of the concept are…

To determine the teaching philosophy, the academic and professional background, and the teaching methods most valued by experienced teachers of business writing and technical writing, a study was conducted that involved a search of relevant professional literature and an analysis of questionnaire responses from 24 experienced professionals. Those…

Teachers who are concerned and committed are especially needed in urban education. Problems and strategies related to the employment and retention of Black teachers are the quality of teacher education majors and the programs, the widespread myth of Black inferiority, the lack of effective communication skills and a positive self-image, and the…

The importance and issues of peer evaluation of teaching are discussed. It is suggested that a more tangible relationship between professional advancement and teaching effectiveness is necessary to motivate faculty to improve instruction, and that evaluation can provide essential information to a teacher to help improve teaching quality. Problems…

This paper presents an extension of analyses of data on the Carroll County, Georgia, Competency Based Teacher Certification Project, of which the procedure, description of measures, and method of analysis have been described in related documents. Results from two additional observation instruments are reported, and the teacher-derived competencies…

As part of a larger project on teaching reading, this paper describes the work involved in constructing an effective instrument to evaluate teachers' knowledge of reading pedagogy. Existing tests were reviewed and rejected because of their focus on specific knowledge and diagnostic concepts rather than on measuring the knowledge implicitly tied to…

This report presents the results of research undertaken to determine the individual learning styles of teacher trainees and to better understand the development of teacher competency, particularly as it relates to teacher trainee learning styles. The research was conducted over a nine-month period in the context of the regular Teachers College…

The goal of this panel was to recommend research that would identify factors affecting recruitment, selection, and retention of teachers and means of improving these processes. The panel also attempted to plan exemplary research and development activities for devising, validating, and installing methods for improving individuals' and institutions'…

The United Federation of Teachers in New York City prefers to define accountability in terms that are appropriate both educationally and politically. The concept of accountability envisioned by the late Henry Dyer and nurtured by Fred McDonald and Garli A. Forehand of the Education Testing Service, with its problem solving rather than punitive…

Teacher behavior is not likely to be "valid" in general, but rather only under specified conditions, such as the nature of the learning objective which is being pursued, the personal and demographic characteristics of the pupil being taught, the length of time during which learning takes place, and probably the context of other classroom behaviors…

Findings of educational research offer little indication of a relationship between teacher performance and pupil achievement. A review of reported studies suggest that the difficulty may be methodological. Most investigations are either correlational studies or comparative studies using control group designs. Most correlational research is…

Argues that knowledge about the early development of college English departments and the place composition instruction assumed in them is important for modern composition teachers. Suggests that a writing teacher's development can be measured by the degree to which that person has become liberated from current-traditional rhetoric. (RBW)