Professional event planners give advice on producing pleasing alumni special events. Planning elements include creating a theme, picking the place, finding talented people to help, thinking carefully about seating options, setting the mood, having clear objectives, drafting a detailed script, and managing last-minute changes. (MSE)

Presents findings of a study of viewers' ability to detect changes in conducting beat patterns. Reports that music education majors were significantly better able to detect tempo decreases than increases and better able than nonmajors to detect decreases. Indicates that nonmajors were better able than majors to identify tempo increases. (SG)

Describes a successful program that used a step-by-step approach for teaching research and presentation skills to gifted sixth-grade students. Steps included developing a preliminary outline, exploring various sources, organizing information, using higher-level thinking skills, creating a rubric for evaluating presentations, providing handouts,…

This paper offers some guidelines, to be shared with students, that can help make the evaluation of creative responses and projects affirmative, honest, and heartfelt. What should teachers look for in a creative project? The project should move the audience in some deeply personal way, contain some element of surprise, and fulfill the spirit--if…

Marketing professionals offer these suggestions to college communicators: segment audiences; convey the campus' position on issues; express the same theme in various communications; frame the message in the context of meeting the audience's needs; let editorial content guide design; use sophisticated but cost-effective design; solicit opinions;…

This classroom guide and "Better Viewing" guide accompany a 28-minute videotape on television literacy called "Master Control." The classroom guide explains the purpose behind the video, pointing out that "Master Control" is not about doing away with TV, but about a youngster's getting the most out of his or her TV…

This paper discusses the use of bibliotherapy with gifted students and introduces "cinematherapy," the use of movies to help students explore important issues in their lives. Plot summaries, post-viewing discussion questions, and questions relating movies to gifted students' lives are presented for "Stand and Deliver" and "Wargames." A list of…

A composition teacher's suggestion to students to read personal compositions to others and to act on their reactions took on new meaning when the teacher read his own works to a writer's group. The teacher then began to realize the real implications of this method for writing instruction. Student reactions to their classmates' compositions can…

Teachers of public speaking need to provide the educational leadership necessary for students to become responsible for their presentational interaction. Several instructional practices can help students re-position themselves in what they do with their presentational interaction to make it meaningful. For example, teachers can respond to student…

Peer feedback by students, both positive and negative, has proven to be helpful to many public speaking educators. Asking students to design their own evaluation sheets can not only guarantee the numbers of evaluations they receive, but also assist them to do more audience analysis during the preparation process for their speeches. In designing…

This investigation compared 19 adolescents' perceptions of the nonspeech personality characteristics of voice-disordered and normal-speaking children. Listeners, who rated recorded speech samples, showed a significant tendency to judge the normal speakers more positively than the voice-disordered speakers. Results suggest developmental trends in…

Working with schools and communities across the United States, the Education Commission of the States has learned that people want to express their opinions about schools in their communities. This guide was designed to help engage all sectors of the community in conversations about education. It is suggested that holding a series of meetings…

An advanced college-level composition course highlighting differences in writing intended for different cultural groups was designed to teach American students how to communicate thoughts and feelings effectively to various international audiences. (MSE)

Discusses the influence of radio on the social history of the United States between the world wars. Describes early broadcast programing as a mix of culture, education, information, and some entertainment. Addresses the role of radio in the Depression and through the beginnings of World War II in Europe. (DK)

Art education can be used as a focal point in studying peace education and gender issues. One aspect of peace education is the field of human relations and that can include issues of gender. Basic concepts of patriarchy, sexism, feminism, and women's liberation can be studied through art. Finnish art education curriculum provides three areas for…