Describes systematic desensitization as a form of behavior therapy for reducing anxiety. Examines its rationale and clinical practice and explores two features of the technique (relaxation and anxiety hierarchy) as they may be applied to classroom speech instruction for reticent students. (JMF)

This learning module, one in a series of 127 performance-based teacher education learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational teachers, deals with assessing student affective (attitudinal) performance. Addressed in the individual learning experiences are the following topics: understanding the rationale and…