The author examines studies that have sought to enhance self-esteem in school children by experimental means. He reviews work that has sought intervention through (1) curriculum, (2) classroom techniques, (3) teacher behavior, and (4) student behavior modification. (Author/CH)

Reviews research on poetry in the classroom. The first part concentrates on findings that emphasize the importance of the individual teacher; the second part presents teachers', students', and observers' perception on what it is that a good poetry teacher does. (HOD)

B.F. Skinner applied his concept of operant conditioning to education. Skinner believed that people acted the way they did because they had been reinforced for behaving in a certain manner. His orientation to pedagogy was predicated upon the notion that a student's behavior could be modified by guiding the student through the learning process…

This Digest summarizes what is known about the use of positive behavioral support (PBS) and functional analysis (FA) to change the behaviors of students with a variety of disabilities. The paper notes that both PBS and FA differ from traditional behavioral management in focusing on systems, settings, and lack of skill. The 1997 reauthorization of…

It was concluded that important differences occurred in interaction patterns, but not in pupil affect, when two different curricular organizing strategies were used. (Author)

Article discusses a highly structured music program developed especially for emotionally disturbed children at Northern Illinois University requiring special teachers, special environments and special methods. (Author/MM)

Recommends reality counseling to help students who identify with failure to take responsibility and achieve success. Defines reality counseling and discusses its principles: get involved, focus on present behavior, help the student evaluate his/her behavior, make a plan for future behavior, encourage student commitment, accept no excuses, and…

Presented are some suggestions and information designed to increase the biology teacher's awareness of the potential for participation in discussion by each individual pupil in his/her class. (PB)

Psychological treatment techniques for the control of self-injury in a 13-year-old male with de Lange syndrome (a rare disorder characterized by retarded mental and physical development) are presented. Techniques, which included mild punishment, time out, and differential reinforcement, produced a clinically significant control of self-injurious…

The performance of five students (ages 6 to 10) in an adjustment class for deaf children was compared under fixed and variable ratio schedules of reinforcement. During the VR condition, students visually attended more and engaged in disruptive behavior less often than during the FR condition. (Author)

Described are the basic materials and procedures used to study defensive burying behavior and suggested laboratory projects. Discusses live targets, non-living targets, social variables, and previous experiences of the subjects. (CW)

Focuses on methods of teaching toileting and independent eating skills to children with disabilities. Methods for teaching toileting skills include timed toileting, scheduled toileting, and the rapid technique. Methods for teaching self-feeding include systematic instruction, positioning techniques, and adaptive modifications. Notes that both…

Review of claims for the effectiveness of the gentle teaching philosophy with people having severe problem behaviors and mental retardation finds that the methods were unsuccessful with seven of nine individuals. Although more research is needed, the review suggests that gentle teaching cannot be considered an ethically defensible treatment…

A two-year professional development program in a Japanese junior high school is described. Schoolwide training institutes and individual practice sessions focused on behavioral methods of instruction according to a direct instruction model. Observed teaching behaviors changed following the program, and most teachers indicated the direct…

This article reviews aspects of normal affective development and the accompanying language of feelings, explains how children with behavioral and emotional problems diverge from normal patterns, and describes relevant intervention programs for early childhood and the primary and intermediate grades. (Author/JDD)