To motivate students, teachers should involve students in setting objectives, individualize objectives, set priorities, demonstrate a subject's relevance, help students learn to learn, create positive first experiences, introduce the unfamiliar through the familiar, appeal to student interest and curiosity, reward success, vary strategies, and…

Describes the Deaf Mentor Experimental Project, which provided deaf-mentor services to young deaf children, ages 0 to 5, and their families. Deaf adults (mentors) shared their language (American Sign Language), culture, and personal knowledge of deafness while serving as role models for the children. Program children made greater language gains…

A study of 10 Cypriotturkish young people in British universities identified the factors they perceive as having had an impact on their achievement. Negative experiences in secondary and higher education included teachers' low expectations, racism, and lack of role models/mentors. Women were more aware of these issues than men were. (JOW)

Presents seven elements of a safe classroom in controversy-driven courses, where students can exchange ideas rather than emotions as they learn and discuss. The elements are: collegiality, empowerment, role modeling, preparation, shared purpose, reflection, and commitment. Explains how teachers can create and nurture safe classrooms, describing…

Provides a rationale for teaching about Malcolm X and recommends instructional strategies and suggested materials. The author also offers additional suggestions for activities that can engage students to make other historical connections. (GR)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Trading Cards Program to positively influence elementary students' (n=829) perceptions about the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The program used drug-free high school students to model behaviors and social competencies. Significant differences were found between elementary students in the…

Considers the concept of heroes historically and currently. Explains that the media and the disillusionment in society have contributed to a confusion between celebrity and heroism. Discusses the role of the social studies educator in encouraging notions of heroism that develop effective citizenship and embody moral and ethnic heritage. (CMK)

Recent research, as well as personal reports from children and young adults, confirms the importance of a father or father figure being present. This article infuses research findings and person testimonies from young men who have reflected upon the importance of a father. Implications for schools and society are also discussed. (Author)

Describes afterschool science program, implemented by a group of women engineers, to provide 18 African American middle-school female students with hands-on science activities related to the manufacture and design of automobiles. Women engineers served as mentors and role models. Program had positive influence on students' attitudes towards math,…

Asserts that music teachers should help their students understand the value of music by acting as a role model. Explains that in order to become a role model, teachers should actively pursue musical involvement in their daily lives. Provides five questions to guide reflection about teachers' musical lives. (CMK)

Investigated the effect of near peer role models (NPRMs). Examined the impact of a video with four exemplary, slightly older Japanese NPRMs in a Japanese English department--who were expressing beliefs and attitudes thought to facilitate second language acquisition--on non-English majors in obligatory English courses. Results show students'…

Two-hundred-and-seventy-eight undergraduates at a large southeastern university completed a confidential anonymous forty-item questionnaire designed to assess student reactions to course expectations and the degree to which they engage in behaviors typically associated with positive academic outcomes. Women were significantly more likely to be in…

In an effort to explain the spatial patterning of violence, we expanded Sutherland's (1947) concept of differential social organization to include the level of deviance exhibited by neighboring areas. To test the value of this extension, the geographic clustering of Japanese suicide and homicide rates is assessed using 1985 and 1995 data for…

The high school science laboratory provides a natural environment for students to learn through scientist-teacher partnerships. Scientists represent an excellent resource for teachers and students: They possess specialized knowledge and skills, have access to laboratory equipment and materials, and are immersed in a culture of collaborative…

A number of countries are running role model recruitment drives under the assumption that like is good for like: ethnic minority teachers should teach ethnic minority children, women should teach girls, and so on. The empirical basis for this would appear to be case study and personal reflection. This article will examine quantitative data to test…