Although ability partly explains why some students are eager to learn in school whereas others are disinterested, motivation is another significant factor. This newsletter discusses factors that affect students' motivation to learn, considers techniques that can increase motivation, and identifies schools that have developed activities to enhance…

The laboratory tapescripts for a course in basic Pashto are transcriptions of instructions and exercises given on tape recordings made for use in a language laboratory. The course contains seven units, each consisting of five lessons. The laboratory tape to accompany each lesson contains instructions for completing exercises contained in the…

A year-long, social-ecological study assessed a kindergarten classroom setting and the beliefs of 32 kindergarten children, 9 parents, and 2 teachers, for the purpose of illuminating the interactive nature of the person-environment interaction model of the learning environment. Children were from lower- and middle-income Anglo and Hispanic…

This facilitator training guide, part of a series of 18 components, describes the needs assessment process as an essential feature of successful rural career guidance program planning. It is designed to provide participants with the skills necessary to conduct a local needs assessment and to identify student needs for career guidance programming.…

To have an effective career guidance and counseling program, it is necessary to know and use pertinent resources. This module provides facilitator guidelines for training staff in the use of three "Rural America Series" handbooks: (1) "Resource Assessment" which depicts a major step in the planning process, (2) "Career…

This module of the staff training series deals with the practical problems that arise when setting a framework for effective staff development, by concentrating on a number of experiential activities for accomplishing the staff development mission. Presented among the strategies for accomplishing total staff development are field trips to work…

This module provides guidelines for planning and implementing both written and oral cooperative agreements with business, industry, and labor. These guidelines will be of help to rural and small school counselors and educators as they plan, implement, and evaluate career guidance programs in rural schools. Characteristics of formal and informal…

This module helps the facilitator in training other educators in the effective use of a wealth of field test data gathered through case studies of all nine sites at which the Rural America Series has been rigorously field tested over a 15-month period. The module is particularly valuable in assisting program planners to anticipate and avoid errors…

This revised New York state social studies curriculum guide presents teacher development materials and a syllabus for fourth grade social studies classes. The teacher's section elaborates on key features of the program and suggests relevant classroom applications. Contents discuss or provide: (1) concept goals; (2) skill goals; (3) evaluation…

Developed to enhance the quality of secondary school U.S. history instruction, this curriculum guide provides implementation suggestions and includes the Louisiana social studies: (1) program rationale; (2) curriculum goals; and (3) program scope and sequence. The guide is divided into sections that feature the following themes: (1) toward a new…

This module is one of a series of 127 performance-based teacher education (PBTE) learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational teachers. The competencies upon which these modules are based were identified and verified through research as being important to successful vocational teaching at both the secondary and…

This language arts curriculum guide for kindergarten combines the Basic Skills First Reading Guide and the Language Arts Guide to provide a comprehensive kindergarten curriculum. The objectives in the guide are categorized according to the strands (divisions of skill areas) for grades 1-12 to show how the curriculum in kindergarten prepares…

This guide, designed to promote knowledge of labor unions and favorable attitudes toward them among students, describes examples of labor-in-the-schools projects, programs, and materials. The guide contains samples of AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations) materials, projects, and programs from international…

This guide presents a competency-based curriculum for a high school course in sales promotion. It addresses all three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. Activities suggested in the guide deal with getting along with others, with supervisors or staff members, and with small or large groups. The guide, which can be used with…

Authentic listening materials are appropriate and desirable for instruction in English as a second language (ESL) for business purposes for several reasons: they have high interest, leading to enhanced motivation and increased opportunity for learning; they contain many natural redundancies and repetitions that facilitate comprehension; and they…