A licensed counselor working in a privately owned mental health facility implemented a practicum study designed to improve the parenting skills and quality of family communication in families with children between 3 and 14 years of age. Practicum goals were to: (1) give parents information that would improve their parenting skills; and (2)…

Designed for preschool deaf/hearing impaired children whose developmental abilities range from 18 months through 5 years, this experiential curriculum uses a total communication approach in which language development is promoted in a natural setting. The guide is offered as a framework for teachers to use in developing their own individualized…

This practicum attempted to provide five teachers in a preschool special education program with improved strategies for systematic and consistent instructional planning. The objectives included improvement of classroom environments, improved planning for small and large group interactions, and development of methods of individualizing instruction.…

A description is provided of the development of a course in business communication for office administration majors at Evergreen Valley College (EVC) in California. The steps involved in the development of the course are explained, including: (1) a review of the educational and business literature on business communication; (2) a review of current…

At McCook Community College (MCC) in Nebraska, a teachers' guide was developed to introduce the goals and processes of outcomes-based learning (also termed competency-based education and mastery learning) to the college faculty. Several procedures were used: a review of the literature, an analysis of two previously existing manuals, and a review…

A Piagetian, language-experience approach to the early teaching of reading to normal young and older developmentally delayed preoperational children was developed. The approach was discussed in a specially-developed manual which was field tested by 42 teachers among 390 children in 16 school systems in several states and in Canada. Subjects were…

This practicum paper discusses the development, evaluation, and revision of a student sex education syllabus at American River College (California). The syllabus is intended to provide an alternative learning format to the traditional lecture format. After a review of the literature, it was decided to use a fill-in or sentence completion format…

It was noted that paraprofessional child caregivers working with economically disadvantaged children did not base instructional choices on data derived from direct observations. As a result, this practicum was implemented to improve the observation and recording skills of five caregivers serving as group leaders of day care workers. Centers…

Because intermediate grade students were not working up to their potential, a coordinator of elementary school instruction implemented a practicum to increase students' motivation. In-service meetings were held with six intermediate grade teachers from each of two schools for the purpose of planning techniques and devising activities for…

The inclusion of multicultural education in the curriculum of child care centers is becoming a necessity, particularly in homogeneous communities, as the ethnic make-up of society continues to change. This practicum project implemented and evaluated a strategy intended to increase the use of multicultural education in a middle-to-upper-class…