Guidelines teachers have found useful for initiating and maintaining formal and informal communication with parents are provided in this discussion for child caregivers. Topics briefly discussed include the mechanics of initiating a conference, working with parents during a conference, arranging meetings for parent groups, and techniques for…

A series of classroom practices and techniques are provided to help classroom teachers overcome their anxiety in teaching science. Chapter 1 (Fearing the Unknown) focuses on reasons for teaching science in elementary grades, science processes, characteristics of inquiry, questioning and inquiry, and using small groups. Chapter 2 (Managing…

Based on the observation that freshman composition students associate writing with pain and unpleasantness and have been given little opportunity to engage in enjoyable writing, this paper advocates a method for making freewriting and the journal central and integral dimensions of the writing class. After discussing the techniques and the benefits…

While elementary school teachers are concerned for and involved in the affective world of children, some elementary educators fear or distrust group affective approaches. It may be the case that they lack understanding and skills in the use of affective curricula. William Glasser's guides for classroom meetings, designed to increase and promote…

This guide to teaching ethnicity from the ethnic individual's point of view is designed to accompany the student sourcebook, The Individual and Ethnic Identity (see SO 013 157). The sourcebook, suitable for secondary and higher education, contains quotations of 51 individuals from varying ethnic backgrounds and varying degrees of ethnicity. It…

THIS MANUAL PROVIDES ADULT BASIC EDUCATION TEACHERS WITH LESSON PLANS IN HEALTH AND NUTRITION. EACH LESSON CONTAINS BACKGROUND MATERIAL OFFERING SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE SUBJECT OF EACH LESSON, AIMS, LESSON DEVELOPMENT, AND TWO STUDENT WORKSHEETS. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ARE SUGGESTED TO ENCOURAGE THE GREATEST POSSIBLE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT. THE TEN…

A sharing period in the first grade can provide children with many opportunities for developing both personally and educationally (e.g., becoming aware of others' attitudes and expressing themselves orally). Moreover, much can be learned by the teacher about students' interests, needs, and abilities when they are encouraged to "brainstorm" such…

Research on the use of discussion in adult education has been largely concerned with comparing it with the use of other instructional techniques and with measuring opinion change. Many studies, such as Kurt Lewin's study of food habits, have compared the effectiveness of group discussion as contrasted with lecture in changing opinions and…

Students begin to comprehend the medium of television as they learn to make qualitative judgments about what they like in TV viewing and why. To find convincing reasons for their personal responses, they should analyze all kinds of good and bad TV experiences as well as learn to recognize the socio-legal-economic context of TV. As students become…

This study assessed the effect of room design on small-group communication patterns. Twenty-seven groups of three subjects each were assigned to nine types of rooms that differed with respect to shape, interior decoration, and other environmental elements. Subjects discussed a standard group-discussion topic. Data indicated that room design had no…

Approaches to organizational change are examined, and the means for overcoming resistance to change are suggested. Seven models of change commonly used are identified as: (1) decree; (2) replacement of personnel; (3) structural reorganization; (4) group agreement; (5) data discussion; (6) group problem solving; and (7) T group. The sixth change…

This booklet is one in a series designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice by suggesting specific classroom activities based on current educational theory and research. Approximately half of the booklet is devoted to a review of current research and theory concerning small group discussion and interaction. The second half presents…

This discussion guide is intended to help school personnel, community members, and board members express and deal with their beliefs about educational philosophy. A series of questions concerning school policies is presented with forced-choice answers. Individual answers are to be brought before a group for comparison, inquiry, and discussion. The…

The ultimate goal of a learning group is to help learners achieve their goals and objectives and to help them learn to live in a rapidly changing and evolving society. Within the context of social change, the author examines how internal dynamics can be used to aid a teacher in developing an effective learning group. Drawing from psychology,…