This paper reports on a practicum designed to increase reading motivation among senior high school students (as reflected by the number of books checked out from the school library) and to promote a better understanding of cultural sub-groups in the school, of which Blacks constituted the largest group (41%) and Hispanics, the second largest…

An integrated motivation program to increase grades and improve attitudes toward English in English I Regular classes was implemented. A targeted group of high school freshman English I Regular students was established for the program with the objective to increase English I Regular students' English grades in each subsequent grading period. The…

Students with severe disciplinary problems in the school district are often transferred from school to school. Maintaining classroom discipline continues to be a concern for teachers, parents, and other professionals. This practicum therefore examined ways to minimize the disruptive behavior of problematic "acting out" children. These counseling…

A practicum was designed and implemented to foster 24 second graders' literacy and language development via child-centered as opposed to curriculum-centered experiences. The primary goal was to improve students' quality and quantity of writing by allowing extra time, much exposure to more and various non-basal literature, hands-on activities, and…

A practicum was designed to help high school students become more creative by encouraging them to be audacious, divergent thinkers capable of entertaining several contradictory ideas simultaneously. Tolerating paradox and ambiguity are vital components in developing creativity. These goals were achieved by developing a nurturing, caring, accepting…

The practicum addressed the problem of student teachers' inadequacy in managing out-of-control children in the elementary classroom. The objectives were to conduct: (1) an in-service program on six factors that contribute to out-of-control behavior; and (2) an in-service program on the techniques for managing the out-of-control child. Techniques…

A practicum was designed to increase the amount of recreational reading by secondary school students, and to improve students' attitude toward reading, thus decreasing disruptive behaviors in the classroom. A whole language workshop approach was implemented over an 8-month period in two high school English classes, grades 10 and 11, college…

An investigation reviewed current literature in the field of physiological factors affecting the adult learning environment. These findings were compared to the academic learning environment at the Phoenix Air National Guard. The end product was a set of recommendations for management to implement in order to improve the learning climate for the…

This paper describes a practicum designed to give 12 low-achieving first-grade children more time to improve their communication skills, to promote knowledge development, and to motivate children to become enthusiastic about the reading and writing process. Whole language, creative drama, and different styles of writing were utilized in the…

A 10-week program was developed to provide structure, consistency, and organization in the classrooms of 30 elementary-age emotionally handicapped (EH) students. The program sought to assist the students with staying on task, becoming structured, and reducing inappropriate behavior. The program contained two basic components (a behavioral…

A practicum was developed to increase the frequency of recreational reading and improve students' attitudes towards reading. Subjects were 22 third grade students. Literacy activities incorporated included: daily recreational reading periods either with a buddy or alone, reading to children daily, incorporating children's books into content area…

The problem of sexual harassment in junior and senior high schools is addressed in this practicum. Its major goals were to raise the awareness and understanding of sexual harassment and to create a school environment that does not tolerate sexual harassment. It was found that both students and staff possessed a poor understanding of what defines…

A day care program director designed and implemented a practicum to improve the skills of day care teachers who were not effectively fostering language development in their classrooms. Classroom observations revealed that children attending the centers seldom asked or answered questions, used few complex sentences, and only rarely used language…

This paper describes a strategy that was developed to help elementary school students to become more interested, involved, and accepted in school. The strategy involved a pen pal project in which students wrote to other students at an elementary school who were in other classes and at different grade levels. The idea was presented as a fun…

An integrated reading program was developed and implemented to raise reading comprehension levels and attitudes toward reading in two groups of urban comprehensive high school students. A targeted group of 10th-grade English 2 Regular and English 2 Skills students was established for the program with the objective to reduce reading deficits that…