(Purpose) The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of classroom sound field amplification on communication in kindergarten through grade 3 classrooms. (Methodology) Sixty classrooms were involved in the study; half of the classrooms were provided with sound field amplification. The flow of communication was measured through…

A collection of brief articles of reflective teaching focuses on how second language teachers can use reflective practice for their own continuing professional development. The first title in the "Reflections on Practice" series, this collection introduces the concept of the reflective practitioner of language teaching and serves as a foundation…

This paper describes the Action Research (AR) Team model for joining classroom observations with collegial interaction among university faculty, teaching assistants, and university students to improve pedagogy and the retention of diverse students in higher education. The paper includes a progress report of efforts to develop the model and apply…

The study described here studied perspectives of mid-career teachers from minority and Anglo backgrounds on collaborative intellectual work and examined the ideologies underlying these perspectives. Analysis focused on the teachers' dialogical interaction in a small group (4 teachers) and a large group (28 teachers) in relation to immediate and…

Faced with concerns that students in the American educational system are failing to learn critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills, and do not have the ability to apply these skills to real-world situations, educators and psychologists are researching methods of improving student learning and assessing student performance. In order…

A 5-year study, conducted in two schools on the Texas-Mexico border, is investigating the effectiveness of peer coaching as a professional development strategy for teachers in two-way bilingual education programs. A group of 24 teachers, half bilingual and Hispanic and half monolingual and Anglo participated in the study. For each, classroom…

In light of concerns that previous staff development projects did not truly capture life in the classroom, and that there may be a gap between one's previous elementary and current university teaching experiences, a teacher educator used a semester sabbatical to shadow six first-grade teachers in order to inform thinking and practice in teaching…

Parenting is a journey, in which the parent grows and develops along with the child. Effective parents are competent, motivated learners who actively participate in the development of their parenting philosophy. By understanding themselves as individuals and as a team, and by patiently learning about their children through observing their…

This practicum took place in seven treatment programs that offer residential, day treatment, and therapeutic school services to children and adolescents with social, emotional, and/or behavioral problems. Each of these programs provides milieu therapy including group-centered treatment guided by professional child and youth care counselors. The…

This paper focuses on helping social studies teachers discover ways to help second language students comprehend, use, and learn language as well as content in the classroom. Activities conducive to this purpose include: providing contextual support such as pictures, globes, videotapes, diagrams, body and facial gestures, pantomime and role…

This paper presents a case study describing the collaboration between a state university, a local school district, and Dialog Information Services, Inc. that was designed to include the use of online searching in a social studies methodology course and to encourage school curriculum reform in the area of technology by integrating online searching…

The theoretical and practice-based framework is presented for a study that explored the effect of teachers' use of alternative assessment on their mathematics teaching. A model for the impact of alternative assessment on teacher knowledge and classroom teaching processes is proposed, building on work by E. Fennema and M. L. Franke (1992) and P. L.…

The purpose of this manual is to encourage discussions among science teachers about desired student outcomes in science and assessments appropriate to these outcomes. Once teachers know clearly what they hope to accomplish with their students, choosing appropriate assessment measures follows. Assessment methods described center on observing…

This book aims to help in developing interventions for preschool children with learning and behavior problems, guided by a scientist-practitioner model that integrates research and deals effectively with the realities of practice. The book emphasizes a theory of psychosocial change rather than developmental theories. The book is written for…

The case study presented in this paper describes the thinking-in-action of a first grade teacher who, within the natural setting of her classroom, was constructing a new way of teaching language arts by changing to a whole language approach. In contrast to traditional implementation models, this study highlights the constitutive nature of…