Engaging emotion is essential to effective history instruction. This may strike some as a banal observation, as we have long known that student enthusiasm and engagement are key elements of learning. If asked, many teachers would use emotionally-laden vocabulary to describe their commitment to the profession: love of history, passion about student…

Behavioural problems are commonly experienced in schools. This contributes to poor academic results and general disciplinary problems, among other things. It is argued that punitive disciplinary methods are aggravating unacceptable behaviours. This paper presents information about the use of punishment, how children react to these measures, and…

Despite the importance accorded to helping students make conceptual connections and arrive at a more sophisticated understanding of how ideas, concepts, theories, and explanations interact with and inform one another, educators have few maps to help them describe the process by which students learn to make these connections. Through skill theory,…

There are several variables at work in any piece of writing and some combinations of these variables can cause serious problems for some students. The first area where two of these variables occur is in the notion of what a college education is. The subject matter to be learned is one variable in what education means, and the second variable is…

The author reviews literature on childrens' reactions to perceived failure and offers "learned helplessness" as a model to explain why a child who makes a mistake gives up. Suggestions for preventing these reactions are given. (Author/JMK)

A school functions as a stress-reduction agency when it: (1) provides students with information and skills they will need to solve threatening problems they will meet in life and (2) creates an environment that allows staff to feel they are helping students. Physical reactions involved in stress are discussed. (PP)

A threefold approach, presented for combatting boredom in the classroom, involves (1) understanding the dynamics of boredom; (2) interpersonal skills to help students understand and manage boredom; and (3) guidelines for selecting classroom procedures to decrease boredom. (Author/PP)

Describes a technique for teaching the concept of unintentional racism in an introductory psychology course. A case study is followed by a lecture and class discussion on the nature of racism. Strategies for discussions and student responses to the unit are outlined. Presents evidence suggesting the benefits of this activity. (MJP)

Briefly reviews the syndrome in which medical students begin to take on the symptoms of their patients. Discovers that, although studying psychological disorders decreased students' anxiety about their own mental health, it increased their concern regarding family members. These students also are more likely to seek psychological treatment. (MJP)

Compares the effects of positive goal interdependence and positive resource interdependence on individual performance in teamwork and taskwork situations. Although early performance revealed difficulties with the interdependent nature of the work, performance improved as the students adapted their skills. Briefly discusses a number of variables…