A study examined the relationship between teachers' theoretical orientations toward reading and the verbal feedback they give to students during guided oral reading. A major finding is that teachers' beliefs and behavior vary with the instructional situation; that is, teachers hold different beliefs for different student ability groups.…

Documents and journal articles in the ERIC databases are listed which explore relationships between teachers' theoretical orientations and feedback to students during oral reading. Specifically, the research concerns findings from the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile, the Propositions about Reading Instruction Profile, and the Feedback…

Researchers used simultaneous feedback, a means of modifying behavior through verbal cues transmitted via a transistorized ear plug, to improve the teaching skills of university faculty engaged in the act of teaching. Faculty identified areas they wished to improve after viewing videotapes of their teaching. (Authors/PP)

The effectiveness of a traditional programed approach for producing skills needed for systematic classroom observation was compared with that of a group process training approach. The group process approach involved trainees in generation, role-playing, and live coding of a transcript. These trainees showed a more positive attitude toward their…

The achievement levels of college students taking a bioethics course who demonstrated high and low degrees of speech anxiety were studied. Students with high speech anxiety interacted less with instructors and did not achieve as well as other students. Strategies instructors can use to help students are suggested. (Authors/PP)

The relative influence of scholastic achievement, intelligence, athletic ability, and ethnic origin on the formation of friendships among pupils in two Israel elementary schools was explored. The most important factor was found to be similar academic achievement, followed by intelligence and athletic achievement. (Authors/PP)

A model for school policy makers is provided to help clarify the process of applying research findings to schools and classroooms. The 10-step model is meant to facilitate the systematic review of research and the planning and implementation of new programs and to illustrate potential university and school district cooperation. (Author/PP)

Three possible ways to link teachers with research on teaching and teaching practices are described: (1) rules, (2) evidence, and (3) schemata (which provide a way to "see" a phenomenon and to think about it). Illustrations are drawn from the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. Schemata on classroom time and teacher behavior are presented. (PP)

A teacher recounts her experiences in adapting the concept of Academic Learning Time (ALT), developed in the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, to sixth-grade classes whose students formerly had been instructed individually. ALT was introduced into reading and mathematics instruction. Its effects on student motivation and achievement are…

The efforts of a principal who used ideas concerning use of classroom time generated by the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study to restructure programs at two rural elementary schools are described. Staff development efforts and teachers' reactions are highlighted. Changes in instruction and in scheduling are discussed. (PP)

This review focuses on the relationship between instructional processes and student behavior as presented in "Time to Learn," a description of processes, findings, and implications from the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. Attention is given to chapters concerning data collection, relational and descriptive processes, and limitations of the…

In this critique of "Time to Learn," a publication dealing with the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, the reviewer argues that time spent on a task is not an adequate measure of instructional quality or relevance. Other limitations of the book and of the study are discussed. (PP)

Strategies for informing teachers about academic learning time, the major concept of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, are described. Recommendations include: (1) encouraging a stance of reflection and self-study among teachers; (2) teacher involvement in research, (3) staff development efforts; and (4) appreciation of the complexities of…

A study analyzed an elementary school physical educator's interactions with students, using the Academic Learning Time-Physical Education instrument. Data were collected to show differences in learning opportunities: (1) for girls and boys; (2) for high, medium, and low ability students; and (3) in different instructional units. (Author/PP)

Introduces a special invited issue of this journal which presents four articles characterizing research in the field of classroom and school learning environments. One article illustrates a typical research study; and the others examine the development, validity, and use of learning environment instruments. A list of 65 references is included. (SM)