The smallest meaningful sample of classroom transactions

In order to explore the question of the number of observations necessary to obtain a trustworthy sample of classroom transactions, the data from an existing study were reanalyzed. Sixteen teachers, all of whom were trained to use the materials and procedures of the Science Curriculum Improvement Study, were observed four times with a five-category system which classified teacher questions. In this sample, teachers were extremely variable across occasions. The reliability of a single observation was zero for four of the five variables. For the fifth variable, asking students to hypothesize, it was estimated that 11 to 20 observations would be necessary to obtain a stable mean score for each teacher.     

Teachers' behaviour and practices in the classroom

The theory behind this study yielded the predictions that successful teacher–pupil interaction in the classroom is essential to the educational and social development of pupils and that teachers' understanding of their own behaviour is therefore of paramount importance. The study examined the behaviour and practices of 20 teachers, 10 in small schools and 10 in large schools. The teachers were grouped into three categories: empathetic teachers, non-empathetic teachers and uncommitted teachers. This study contributes several significant findings to the literature on teacher–pupil interaction in the classroom, most importantly that personal characteristics appear to be a good predictor of teacher competence and that there appear to be relationships between particular personal characteristics on the one hand and teachers' classroom practices on the other. These results seemed to be unrelated to class size and schools type.     

Teachers as mothers in the elementary classroom: negotiating the needs of self and other

In this paper, I interrogate the implicit and largely unexamined relationship between mothering and elementary teaching as they are informed by dominant notions of caring in the United States. In an environment where students were seen as not receiving adequate care at home, the teachers in this study felt a need to act as mothers in their professional lives. The consequences of such “deficit thinking” for students are well explored in the literature on teaching and learning. What has been less well explored are the consequences of this teacher‐as‐mother notion for teachers themselves. Drawing from the narratives of six women elementary school teachers, I suggest that assuming the role of mother to one's students not only devalues students' identity and experience, but limits teachers' ability to adequately care for themselves.     

Teachers' schemata for classroom events: The mental scaffolding of teachers' thinking during classroom instruction

Researchers have shown that experts and novices differ in their recall, representation, and analyses of problem situations. This study investigated whether such differences existed between novice and experienced high school teachers in their recall and analyses of problem events during interactive teaching. Experienced and inexperienced teachers (n = 10 in each group) completed cognitive ability tests and were interviewed after viewing three videotaped vignettes of interactive teaching. In contrast to novices, experienced teachers both recalled more classroom events and relied more on procedural knowledge and principles in analyzing classroom events. These differences may indicate that experienced teachers have better developed knowledge structures of “schemata” for classroom teaching than do novice teachers.     

提高综合理科课堂教学效率的策略

提高综合理科课堂教学效率,应采取创设问题情景、开展课堂交流、探究思维过程和引导实践探究四个教学策略。     

Teachers' classroom assessment practices and fourth-graders' reading literacy achievements: An international study

This study, through multilevel analyses of the data of four English-speaking nations (i.e., Canada, England, New Zealand and the United States) from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2001 database, investigated the relationship between teachers' uses of various types of classroom assessments and their fourth-graders' reading literacy achievement, reading self-concept, and attitudes toward reading. The results showed varied outcomes associated with teachers' uses of different types of assessments (multiple-choice items, short-answer and paragraph writing, and oral communication) across countries and across aspects of student reading achievement. Implication of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

论课堂教学优化策略

从教学目标、教学方法、师生关系等方面论述课堂教学优化的策略。     

谈小学数学探究性学习的课堂教学策略

本文对如何有效地指导学生进行探究性学习提出了四条课堂教学策略：营造宽松的学习氛围，为学生创设良好的学习环境；创设问题情境，激发学生探究欲望；让学生在探究学习中既独立思考又合作、交流、讨论；教师要以一个参与者的身份给学生以支持。     

Theoretical triangulation as an approach for revealing the complexity of a classroom discussion

In this paper we explore the value of theoretical triangulation as a methodological approach for the analysis of classroom interaction. We analyze an excerpt of a whole‐class discussion in history from three theoretical perspectives: interactivity of the discourse, conceptual level raising and historical reasoning. We conclude that using theoretical triangulation enables us to relate the perspectives of the teacher, the students and the domain to each other, which provides us with deeper insight into the complex phenomenon of classroom interaction. The analyses reveal the complexities the teacher faces when trying to elicit and promote collaborative knowledge construction and the dilemma of promoting student participation, on the one hand, and deepening the quality of reasoning, on the other.     

Teachers' experiences of effective strategies for managing classroom misbehavior in Hong Kong

This study interviewed twelve teachers to examine their perceptions of effective strategies for managing classroom misbehavior in Hong Kong. Results showed seven effective strategies (rules-setting, hinting, directive statements, punishment, after class talks, relationship building, and instructional engagement) to (i) control student behavior while nurturing students' responsibility for managing one's behavior, (ii) forge a good relationship conducive to cultivating student trust and positive behavioral changes, and (iii) engage the students in learning which in turn thwarts misbehavior. The findings reflected the deeply-rooted Chinese Confucian values, and highlighted an integration of discipline, guidance and teaching strategies for effective classroom management.     

生物课堂运用建构主义的教学策略

以建构主义学习为指导,结合新课程和中学生的心理特点,精心创设教学情境,充分发挥学生学习的自主性,利用建构主义的学习理论,在生物学教学中应用建构主义对生物课堂教学情境的设计发展学生的能力,培养学生的探索精神、创新精神和合作精神．     

Extending the classroom walls: using academic blogging as an intervention strategy to improve critical literacy skills with elementary students

‘Academic blogging’ is a way of extending the primary classroom walls and enhancing learning through collaborative reflective responses to open-ended questions from prescribed text. Students learn from each other, develop critical literacy skills, voice their opinions and ask questions through blogging. This pedagogical approach broaches the areas of social media etiquette, cognitive dissonance, Information Communication Technologies, collaborative learning and utilises virtual conversations to deepen student's understanding of text. Through the methodology of Action Research with the spiral steps of; Plan, Act, Observe and Reflect an intervention strategy is devised to improve the critical literacy skills of Year 5 students in the comprehension skills of metacognition and reflection. A strategy was devised that involved the creation of a class blogosphere to share reflective insights on a class novel. While the children's results were positive using this intervention strategy the teacher's own learning as an educator and researcher is evident through this action research project.     

Teachers' perspectives on classroom practice in Botswana: Implications for pedagogical change

Attempts to improve the quality of education in Botswana have, inter alia, included an emphasis on a learner-centered pedagogy. Attempts at implementing this pedagogy have been made within the ambit of the technical rational model of curriculum development. The attempts, however, have produced inconclusive results, and these results have often been rationalized in technicist terms, e.g., as being due to lack of resources and poorly trained teachers. Overlooked in this technicist model are the teachers' perspectives on the innovation. Using the case-study approach within the rubrics of the qualitative research paradigm, this study sought to establish the perspectives of geography teachers in a senior secondary school in Botswana vis-a-vis the learnercentered pedagogy advocated in Education for Kagisano ( Social Harmony ), a report produced by the 1977 Commission on Education. The findings indicated that teachers' classroom practices were influenced by many factors other than technical ones: these included the teachers' assumptions about the nature of knowledge and the ways it ought to be transmitted, their perceptions of students, and the goal of schooling. It also emerged that their assumptions were incongruent with the basic tenets of the learner-centered pedagogy. The findings, then, are an indictment of the technical rational model of change implementation applied in Botswana. They indicate that disregarding what teachers know and think about their taken-for-granted classroom practices when effecting change can lead to disappointing results.     

浅论语文课堂教学中的提问策略

以教学改革的实践观来观照语文课堂教学,我们对教学策略涵义的理解,比较认同这样的观点:教学策略就是"当教学目标确定以后,需要根据已定的教学任务和学生的特点,有针对性地选择与组合相关的教学内容、方法、手段、组织形式和步骤,形成具有效率意义的教学方案".     

论县级教师培训机构教师队伍存在的主要问题——以福建省为例

分析了福建省县级教师培训机构教师队伍建设的现状,剖析了县级教师培训机构教师队伍建设中存在的六大问题,对于认识县级培训机构的不足,完善机制,提升中小学教师的整体素质具有参考意义。     

Working as partners for classroom reform

This paper discusses a partnership involving teachers and a teacher educator working together to develop teaching and learning practices in Pakistan. The partnership was established in response to the teachers’ need for support in developing their professional practices within the actual contexts and realities of their schools, after they had attended an in-service training course at a university. Providing case studies, the paper analyses the processes and outcomes of this co-learning partnership. The findings suggest that the collaborative process advances the understanding of teachers’ problems, resolves them on the spot, and provides teachers with the confidence and courage to transcend the constraints of their workplaces while developing professionally.