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DEPOSITORY
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Assistant Secretary
SEP 171987
William J. Bennett, Secretary
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
What Works: A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers
Excessive television viewing is associated with low academic achievement. Moderate viewing, especially when supervised by parents, can help children learn.
Student achievement rises significantly when teachers regularly assign homework and students conscientiously do it.
Students will become more adept at solving math problems if teachers encourage them to think through a problem before they begin working on it, guide them through the thinking process, and give them regular and frequent practice in solving problems.
When students work more than 15 to 20 hours per week, their grades may suffer. They can benefit, however, from limited out-of-school work.
These are a sampling of 59 research findings contained in the second edition of a Department of Education handbook, What Works: Research About Teaching and Learning. The booklet translates scholarly research into practical suggestions for parents and teachers. The original edition of the book was released
in March 1986. The new, second edition contains the original 41 research findings —with a few revisions—as well as 18 new ones.
The booklet is written in clear, jargon-free language so that what works in education can be understood by parents, taxpayers, teachers, legislators, principals, and school board members.
It is divided into three sections: home, classroom, and school. Each contains a set of one-page summaries of significant research.
Some of the research focuses on what parents can do to help their children learn more. For instance, the booklet explains that the best way for parents to help their children become better readers is to read aloud to them—even when they are very young. Children will benefit most from this activity when they discuss stories, learn to identify letters and words, and talk about the meaning of the words.
Research also indicates that a good foundation in speaking and listening helps children become better readers. Children who know how to listen are able to retell stories and repeat instructions. Children who are good listeners in kindergarten and first grade are likely to become successful readers by third grade.
Many of the findings in What Works focus on ways that teachers can help children learn more. Research shows that homework is most useful when teachers carefully prepare an assignment, thoroughly explain it, and give prompt com-
ments and criticism when the work is complete. To make the most of what students learn from doing homework, teachers need to give the same care to preparing homework assignments that they give to classroom instruction.
Teachers also can teach students good study skills. Obviously, the more effectively students study, the more they can learn. But not all students know how. Teachers can help students adjust the way they study according to the demands of the material, the time available for studying, what they already know about the topic, the purpose and importance of the assignment, and the standards they must meet.
What Works also gives insight into good classroom management. How much time students are actively engaged in learning contributes strongly to their achievement. The available learning time is largely determined by the teaching and management skills of teachers and the priorities that school administrators set. Studies of elementary school teachers have found that the amount of time the teachers actually use for teaching varies between 50 and 90 percent of the total school time available to them. Good teachers manage learning time by planning class work, communicating goals to students, and regulating learning activities.
Teachers especially need to have good classroom management skills to deal with students who have chronic misbehavior problems. Research indicates that teachers who successfully help problem stu-
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
OSRI
U.S. Department of Education
IS 87-116 RIBdents use several strategies. They enforce simple discipline, provide alternative services when necessary, and set and enforce limits in order to gain control over the problem student’s behavior.
They communicate positive expectations for improvement, reinforce good behavior, and suggest ways that students can cope with problem situations.
Educators and parents alike have expressed concern about American students’ lack of understanding of math and science. Several of the research findings in What Works deal with teaching these subjects.
For instance, children learn science best when they do experiments allowing them to witness “science in action.” Reading about scientific principles or having a teacher explain them is frequently not enough. Cause and effect are not always obvious, so it may take an experiment to make that clear. Experiments help children actually see how the natural world works.
Numerous studies of mathematics achievement at different grade and
ability levels show that children in early grades benefit when real objects are used as learning aids. Teachers call these objects “manipulatives.” The type or design of the objects used is not particularly important—they can be blocks, marbles, cardboard cutouts or the like.
What Works also discusses how school policies affect learning. Schools that encourage academic achievement focus on the importance of scholastic success and on maintaining order and discipline. Good schools concentrate on learning. Teachers and students believe each student is capable of making significant academic progress. Students understand and agree that their first priority is to learn. And school activities reinforce these attitudes.
Research also indicates that many children who are physically handicapped or have emotional or learning problems can be given an appropriate education in well-supported regular classes and schools. In the past, educators often assumed that children needed special education that could be provided only in special places—such as resource rooms,
special classes, or special schools. Now more of them are learning well in regular classes and schools.
Single copies of the second edition of What Works: Research About Teaching and Learning are available for $3.00 each from the Consumer Information Center, Department 198-R, Pueblo, Colorado 81009. Bulk copies are available for $2.25 each for orders of 100 or more from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Wash ington, D.C. 20402. GPO stock number for the publication is 065-000-00-304-0. When ordering books from both the Consumer Information Center and GPO, checks should be made out to “Superintendent of Documents.”
For additional information about What Works, contact Ann Swift, project officer, Information Services, OERI,
555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20208.
Kay McKinney, Writer
Nancy Paulu, Editor/Branch Chief
Information Services, OERI
August 1987
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
3 0112 105173840
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WASHINGTON D.C. 20208
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