Gary Rubinstein doesn't buy the adage that rules--for students or for teachers--must be stated positively, without don'ts or nots. So he lists 10 rules for things teachers must not do in their first years. Tops on his list is "Don't try to teach too much in one day," which Rubinstein says is a common mis-step because teacher preparation programs,…

Research has found that effective teachers teach concepts and skills using a systematic, step-by-step instructional process. The six teaching functions are: review, presentation, guided practice, corrections and feedback, independent practice, and weekly and monthly reviews. Includes two tables and extensive references. (MD)

Instead of employing a wide variety of teaching methods in the classroom, teachers should use only a few compatible methods. To choose these methods, teachers must clarify their own beliefs about basic elements of education and must assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of various methods in particular settings. (IW)

A professor of educational psychology describes the goals of research in progress on the personal characteristics of expert teachers, compares classroom management techniques of expert teachers with those of beginning and student teachers, and criticizes existing teacher evaluation systems for their lack of uniform standards and experienced…

Even in schools termed "outstanding" by local and state reviews, few teachers demonstrate artful, inspired classroom instruction. Probable causes include (1) the emphasis in schools on order, competency, and basics, (2) random minilectures, (3) teachers' growing old in place, and (4) the dearth of younger career teachers. (IW)

A professor of education returns to the elementary classroom as a teacher's aide and learns that administrators can support teachers by (1) working to eliminate fragmentation in daily routines, (2) protecting teachers from overextension, (3) focusing more on individual students, (4) promoting teacher collegiality, and (5) fashioning a school…