Ways of determining when a school is ready to plan and implement major instructional improvements are presented. Three primary areas are suggested for in-depth exploration and consideration, and to facilitate the process the following problem-solving tools are outlined: (1) guidelines for assessing readiness for using a group problem-solving…

This program is designed for personnel working in alcohol service agencies who are responsible for planning and implementing prevention programs for youth. The training is most appropriate for the person who is just starting to plan a prevention program and who has only minimal experience in prevention work with youth. Training skills and…

Forty-five undergraduates discussed a moral issue with a confederate who had the same opinion (no controversy) or opposite opinion (controversy). Subjects in the controversy conditions discussed within either a cooperative or a competitive context. Subjects in the controversy conditions indicated more conceptual conflict or uncertainty, engaged in…

Instructional discussion is a classroom teaching method by which students move through material to a predetermined, new understanding by building on each other's contributions and by utilizing the more experienced learner's (the teacher's) past experiences with the material. This article describes both the characteristics and the planning of…

Designed as a group project for boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 17, the informal discussion unit on clothing deals with total appearance (Accessories, hair, make-up, grooming, posture, mannerisms, facial expression, and clothes) and its relationship to self-understanding and one's role in society. The unit is organized into four parts:…

Talk, the foundation stone upon which all development of language is built, provides the basis for literary interpretation and thus has important repercussions in all the areas of reading and writing. Various activities can give high school students the opportunity to talk and to learn from the expression of others. Group discussion offers…

Learning, enthusiasm, fun, and involvement--all are qualities of the student council workshop which this booklet attempts to capture. The author provides a detailed, lively manual for workshop directors and those who would like to begin new workshops. Why hold a workshop for student leaders? The author suggests these answers: to prepare student…

This is a report on a conference series on teacher education and school integration in Atlanta, Georgia. Information on the most recent conferences since May, 1969, are also included. These conferences are held to have afforded the opportunity for many people to understand and profit from the mistakes and successes of others. Recommendations…

In order to compare the behavior of teachers at different grade levels within Project PLAN, a program of individualized instruction, eight observers were trained in the use of a specially developed teacher observation system (PLAN-TOS) which includes 17 categories of behavior, and observations were made of all 66 Project PLAN teachers in the 14…

Creative uses of labor training films, documentaries, and full-length feature films in labor education are examined and discussed. A need is seen for more authentic, professional training films. Typical discussion sessions are outlined for "The Shop Steward" and "The Grievance," two outstanding National Film Board of Canada…

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit is designed for the training group leader and contains selected highlights and suggested discussion questions from six units of training: maintenance activities, work units, and classifying work; maintenance feature inventories; how to conduct a maintenance feature inventory;…

This study was designed to determine the communication characteristics which group members perceive as constituting the amount of influence of a designated leader, the communication characteristics which designated leaders perceive as consituting their own amount of influence, and the degree of similarity between the leader's and others'…

This study compared two different laboratory programs in a physical science course for nonscience majors. One program, Program X, centered around a continuing experiment where the students themselves attempted to function as a team of scientists. Program Y was a direct examination of scientists and their work by having the students study reports…

The Bibliotherapy Project, originally located at Agnews State Hospital, was transferred to the Santa Clara County Library in 1972 since the state of California announced the closing of the Hospital to the mentally ill. Most patients were returned to the community, where the County would provide the services formerly provided by the state. The new…

The purpose of this conference was to explore what is currently being done with computers in medical education, what future goals should be established for computers, and how these goals should be implemented in medical education. Five speeches and four panel discussions dealt with computers in undergraduate medical education, clinical medical…