A multitude of preliminary findings are emerging from analyses of the observational and focus group data. Teachers place substantial emphasis on time and time management. Students resist this and are constantly being told to be quiet. In the technical core of instruction category Teachers use a great deal of group instructional activities, during which there seem to be fewer disciplinary problems than during individual learning activities. Instructional feedback to students is generally positive and occurs on a regular basis.
Teachers typically make the assumption that all students are on the same instructional level.
There are a host of class room routines and rituals that students must be familiar with and obey or they are disciplined. There are constant interruptions from outside of the classroom. In the discipline and classroom management category Teachers who set pleasant tones for the day tended to use indirect and cooperative forms of commands, while those who did not tended to give orders in a more direct and authoritarian way. Teachers use non-verbal modes of disciplining and managing in the classroom including turning lights off and on, standing in silence until students are quiet, taking time out, and having students put their heads on their desks. Teachers expect students to obey classroom rules and to respect and obey the teacher and other designated students.