THE ROLE OF TEACHER EXPECTATIONS 1

teachers need to acquire more realistic Expectations and definitions cf their jobs and need to learn how to observe their own behaviors. Members of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory have observed that preschool teachers offer rewards for learning that are extrinsic to the learning process (e.g., rewarding a reading lesson with playtime), that they suffer from "right answer syndrome, " and that they otter global praises such as "good toy " rather than specific praise. The teacher training program at the Laboratory stresses positive attitudes toward learning: Children should be motivated to learn for the joy of learning, teachers should praise children's learning efforts in specific terffs, and "wrong " answers should be interpreted as providing a direction for remediation. The training program uses tilffed models ct teaching, siffulation, and microteaching. (LP