Group play interventions are used to meet a broad range of developmental needs in children from various backgrounds. This book is for mental health practitioners working with children aged 5 through 12 to help them learn important social skills and self-control strategies such as making friends, asking for and offering help, controlling hands and…

In adaptive schools, working groups grow, develop, and learn from experience, becoming more effective as they go. Three premises about group development include the following: each group is unique, some groups mature, and attrition need not block development. Four guidelines for successful group meetings include decide who decides, define the…

The most essential set of skills that camp directors can impart to staff are effective group skills. One trick to working with campers in groups is to formalize brief meetings as part of the program. Types of meetings described are daily group, bunk, or cabin meetings; briefing and debriefing before and after activities; public appreciation;…

Poses several questions concerning self-disclosure in group counseling and draws on research findings and clinical experience to provide tentative answers and guidelines for group leaders. (Author)

Five intervention strategies for group facilitators (each increasingly more complex and intrusive in group processes), include the following: do nothing, present observations about what is occurring in the group, describe one's feelings without projecting them on the group, ask for help from group members, and determine that the group needs…

Describes how teachers can help children feel included, connected, and valued, explaining that the family is the child's first and most important group, and children learn the rules of social interaction from primary relationships with adults. As children play, they learn and formulate their own social rules. Teachers can provide structured,…

This pamphlet on parliamentary procedure is the fifteenth of 16 in a series to provide leaders in adult activities with sound introductory material to give practical help in using a method of adult education or working in a particular area. Its objective is to help organizational leaders use parliamentary procedure to further the educative process…

This paper discusses the dialectics of creativity, especially in group behavior; notes how stabilizing influences result in hard-programed behavior; outlines habits of thinking, learning, and behaving that help in developing creative potential; and presents exercises to encourage flexibility in the group creative process and counter inhibiting…

This book is intended to assist group leaders, teachers, counselors, and peer helpers in the development of relationships and active learning. The first chapter, "Icebreakers," begins with an overview that explains the nature, purpose, and importance of these activities. Icebreakers are used to help group members learn about each other in a…

This paper presents an overview of the literature concerning discipline in the classroom, focusing specifically on the root causes of discipline problems and the development of problem-specific responses. A bibliography and suggestions for further reading are also included. (DS)

Recently, the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis at the University of Southern California conducted a national study of public higher education governing board performance. 130 board members, presidents, coordinating board officials, governors, legislators, and education department staff were interviewed about ways to improve performance…

This pamphlet on understanding how groups work is the fourth of 16 in a series to provide leaders in adult activities with sound introductory material to give practical help in using a method of adult education or working in a particular area. Its objective is to help leaders learn about group behavior. Eight articles and how-tos are included.…

This monograph's purpose is to provide a basis for team development for quality circle groups involved in problem-solving and decision-making. Training group members in team building is a crucial factor for success in quality circles. The following are important needs for group members: a sense of belonging, a commitment to group goals, a sense of…

A "traffic light" model provides youth groups with a means to evaluate the risk level of specific behaviors and agree upon the management of such behaviors. Designed for outdoor pursuits, the model may be used in other environments. Suggestions for ways to discuss red-light, yellow-light, and green-light behaviors are included. (SV)

Program staffs working with emotionally disturbed students must be aware of their negative collective reactions to students with whom they experience little progress. This collective process can occur even though individual staff-student interactions avoid conflict cycles. To fight these negative reactions, verbalization of frustrations and…