Use Of Classroom Practices Research Articles

Structured Peer Observation and Targeted Training to Increase Consistency of Classroom Practices in a Self-Contained School for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

ABSTRACT Consistency, predictability, and structure have been identified as key components of recommended supports for students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD). This study describes an intervention implemented during behavioral school consultation aimed at increasing consistency in the use of classroom practices by teacher and paraprofessional participants in a self-contained school for students with EBD. A classroom observation form was developed with school personnel to measure key classroom practices, and participants then used this form to conduct structured peer observations in each other’s classes. This was followed by a single training targeting the practices that were least consistently used across classes during preceding phases of the intervention. Peer observations increased the consistency of the use of measured practices across classes, including the proper use of the school’s reward point system. The targeted training further increased the use of the least consistently used practices. These changes were maintained up to two months after the end of intervention. Data from the district’s Student Climate Survey were analyzed to evaluate the effects of the intervention from the perspectives of students. The benefits of targeting consultee observational skills as a goal during behavioral school consultation are discussed.

If You Build It, Will They Come? Predictors of Teachers’ Participation in and Satisfaction with the Effective Classroom Interactions Online Courses

<div class="WordSection1"><p>The <em>Effective Classroom Interactions</em> (ECI) online courses were designed to provide an engaging, effective and scalable approach to enhancing early childhood teachers’ use of classroom practices that impact children’s school readiness. The created courses included several versions aimed at testing whether or not certain design aspects could increase participation and subsequent learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which early childhood teachers accessed the courses and varied in their a) participation in the core course content and b) optional discussion board as a result of the course experience they were assigned to as well as individual characteristics that may be associated with participation. Findings indicated that early childhood teachers accessed the course often on nights and weekends and reported high levels of satisfaction with their experience. Both persistence in the ECI courses and overall completion of activities were higher than those reported in other studies of online learning. Whether or not the participant was in the course that had regular interactions with the instructor, comfort with technology and took the course for credit consistently predicted participation, but not always in expected ways. Implications for exploring online learning as a feasible option for early childhood educators are discussed.</p></div>

The Effect of Gender and Professional Development in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Science Teachers’ Use of Classroom Practices

The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of gender and perceived professional development in ICT skills on science teachers’ use of traditional and alternative classroom practices. The data was obtained from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). Specifically, this research was focused on Turkish science teachers (n=308). The data was analyzed through Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The findings indicated that female teachers use traditional classroom practices significantly much more than male teachers. Moreover, science teachers who no need any professional development in ICT skills had significantly higher mean score on alternative classroom practices than science teachers who high need for professional development in ICT skills. The implications based on the findings were discussed.

Assessment of general education teachers’ Tier 1 classroom practices: Contemporary science, practice, and policy.

Progress monitoring is a type of formative assessment. Most work on progress monitoring in elementary school settings has been focused on students. However, teachers also can benefit from frequent evaluations. Research addressing teacher progress monitoring is critically important given the recent national focus on teacher evaluation and effectiveness. This special topic section of School Psychology Quarterly is the first to showcase the current research on measuring Tier 1 instructional and behavioral management practices used by prekindergarten and elementary school teachers in general education settings. The three studies included in the special section describe the development and validation efforts of several teacher observational and self-report measures of instruction and/or behavioral management. These studies provide evidence for the utility of such assessments for documenting the use of classroom practices, and these assessment results may be leveraged in innovative coaching models to promote best practice. These articles also offer insight and ideas for the next generation of teacher practice assessment for the field. Finally, the special topic is capped by a commentary synthesizing the current work and offers "big ideas" for future measurement development, policy, and professional development initiatives.