Describes the use of a biology guidebook which contains a course outline, syllabus, reading list, handouts, and sample tests all bound together in booklet form for better organization and teacher effectiveness. (RT)

A former elementary school teacher shares suggestions for decorating a classroom on a low budget. The article includes tips for decorating bulletin boards and keeping them up-to-date, organizing workspaces and storing materials, and creating appropriate seating arrangements. (SM)

Describes techniques for using computer-assisted instruction to help students of various ages and needs develop job-related skills. Topics addressed include classroom organization, beginning skills, shopping simulations, other simulations, deciphering signs, social skills, writing activities, and followup. (MES)

Asks whether the common practice that has been termed "Circle Time" and its variations are a useful classroom practice. Analyzes the ways teachers employ circle time. Critiques the practice of circle time. Argues that the quality of learning is dependent on the quality of reflection by teachers concerning their practice, not on gimmicks.…

Whether random or nonrandom assignment to classes provides achievement benefits for students in grades 1 through 3 was studied with students, 499 randomly assigned and 658 not randomly assigned, from the Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) study. Results favor random assignment by grade 3 as measured by Stanford Achievement Test and Basic…

Presents suggestions for organizing instructional materials in child care centers, suggesting categories for organizing children's and staff's books and ways to organize and label children's puzzles. Suggests that organizing and labeling materials will assist in identifying material needs. Recommends that the organizational system have someone in…

Examined the class formation procedures used in 22 elementary schools from two districts and the influence these procedures had on the composition of 200 classes, 56 of which were combination classes of students from two grade levels. Principals tended to assign higher ability and more independent students to combination classes to ease teacher…

Teachers, principals, and supervisors must become very knowledgeable and conversant about different approaches utilized in organizing the language arts curriculum. Thus, the separate subjects approach, the correlated approach, the fused curriculum, and the integrated curriculum represent diverse ways of organizing each of the curriculum areas in…

Thorough investigation of scheduling options is needed to facilitate the development of a tailor-made schedule for the small school. The traditional scheduling model usually only works well in urban or suburban schools. When this mass production model is imposed on small schools, student needs become secondary to the dictates of the schedule. The…

A total of 21 full-day structured classroom observations were conducted in six classes of the Austin Independent School District Bilingual Preschool Project (Texas) having a high incidence of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. Each class consisted of 15 LEP students and 3 English-proficient students. It was anticipated that…

The negative effects of long-term ability grouping has been discussed often in educational literature, and recent research has identified several areas of concern, including a need for more variety in intra-class instructional grouping. Whole language educators are apparently so dissatisfied with the traditional, rigid three-group plan that they…

The booklet examines issues and strategies in serving learning disabled (LD) secondary students. Chapter 1, on program development, reviews such program options as varieties of the resource room model and self-contained class and examines three major factors involved in decisions about program emphases: (1) administrative practices, (2) teacher…

The use of learning groups in the introductory psychology classroom at the University of Minnesota, General College, is discussed. Learning groups are used to get students to work together on tasks that teach them concepts or skills. It allows an active discovery process to take place as students use their own and other's resources while working…

Different aspects of multi-level foreign language classes, where two or more levels of foreign language are taught within a single class period, are discussed. The proliferation of multi-level classes has been brought about by a variety of factors that present a difficult instructional assignment to the foreign language staff. The roles of the…

A meta-analysis of findings from 31 separate studies showed that ability grouping has significant positive effects on the academic performance of elementary school children. The benefits of grouping tended to be small in the typical study of achievement --an increase from the 50th to the 58th percentile for the typical student in a grouped class.…