A class council can collectively decide what components will make up the instructional system in an elementary school class. A class council is a friendly assembly made up of the students and the teacher; it meets to discuss and make decisions about all aspects of the instructional system, including objectives, grading, and materials. Each student…

Discusses ways in which the simulation technique can be used in classes of 30 or more students by structuring the simulation so that all the students are involved simultaneously, although in different ways. Seven stages are suggested for developing, presenting, and doing a simulation; a sample simulation is presented. (SED)

Based on research on verbal behavior and the relationship between teachers' verbal responses and student achievement and success, this document discusses the role of teacher language in motivating students and provides examples of classroom techniques that aid learning. The first section reviews ways in which teachers' use of language can…

This paper examines the connection between educational policymaking and the organization and functioning of the public schools. First, the authors describe hierarchical levels of educational organization (districts, schools, classrooms, instructional groups, and individual students); consider the linkages between levels; and discuss the…

The classroom should be organized for optimal pupil achievement. Learners should be free to view and read diverse forms and kinds of printed work in a relaxed atmosphere. An area in the classroom should be designated for large group instruction where pupils may work together as a unit. Another area in the classroom should be used to stress…

The application of information and communication technologies to education can extend small schools by linking them to many other institutions and making them, in effect, large schools. It is becoming increasingly difficult to define a school's size in terms of the number of students who attend it in person. The definition of whether a school is…

Investigates the relationship between school environment and science classroom environment in secondary schools. Reports that the characteristics of the school environment are not transmitted automatically into the science classroom. Concludes that the effect the school-level environment has on student learning is mediated by classroom process…

A preliminary case study used repertory grid and stimulated recall techniques to examine how teachers make sense of the impact of microcomputers on their work. Emphasis was on how teachers construe their classroom influence in relation to the actual use of microcomputers and to idealizations of their use. A version of the Kelly (1955) repgrid was…

This chapter of "Helping Teachers Manage Classrooms" examines the various management techniques required by the different kinds of student groupings associated with different types of classroom activities. These activities are identified in terms of their action structures (specifying who shall do what, when, and to or with whom), their physical…

The major emphasis in the studies considered in this paper is on the role of the teacher as a professional with particular expertise and specific but limited responsibilities to students and parents, and with certain rights as the instructional leader and authority figure in the classroom. According to research studies, a comprehensive approach to…

This is an evaluation report on a Title I non-public schools reading skills program that served students in grades 4-8 in New York City in 1979-1980. The program's goal was to provide individualized diagnostic prescriptive reading and writing skills instruction for severely disabled readers. Section one of the evaluation provides a description of…

This report describes school and departmental changes that supported newly stated goals in a junior high school that departed radically from its traditional program. New goals for this particular school focused on the individual, and program agents were charged with helping each student (1) become his own agent, (2) become personally involved in…

Observations of two preschool settings--one Black and one white--suggests that structures of time and space are implicit forms through which adult values are transmitted to children. White teachers structured an environment that maximized individual choice and action; Black teachers structured time and space to reinforce collectivism, authority,…

Noting that the early care and education environment is a vital contribution to children's learning, this book examines the early childhood learning environment with the vision of making it a place where young children will be physically, emotionally, esthetically, and intellectually nurtured. The chapters are: (1) "The Power of the Environment…

The Early School Environment Study (ESES), developed by Paul Park and a team of ten teachers, begins with the philosophy that children learn through the solution of practical problems that are meaningful to them, and expands this approach beyond the science framework into the learning of language, mathematics, and social studies. This booklet was…