Social studies teachers face significant challenges. Because the challenges are substantial, teachers need to help students develop habits of heart and mind that use and transcend the academic content of formal classroom lessons. Yet, students feel pressure to perform well on standardized measures of achievement, so their teachers focus on…

This paper provides the results of a literature review on the use of practical, hands-on training experiences in evaluation course work and training programs. The review spans the years 1965-2003. I identified 18 articles that encompass four basic approaches for practical evaluation training: simulation, role-play, single course projects, and…

In this article, the authors offer social studies educators two student-centered, inquiry-based techniques to help students learn about the contributions of historical figures. Both strategies were classroom tested and proved effective at helping students learn about historical figures in a challenging and enjoyable way. Although techniques in…

Videotape and computer simulation are sophisticated technological applications that have great potential to enhance group work practice. Computer simulation has been harnessed for entertainment and business purposes but has not been adequately utilized for teaching social skills. This article describes strategies for integrating video and computer…

As far as the language learning situation is concerned, different methods and techniques have so far been proposed for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). The most recent trend in language learning seems to be the Communicative Approach, as a result of which the students experience feelings of both security and assurance. From…

Children behave differently when they spend the day in child care and knowing their ideas about care is vital to understanding their happiness, continued development and learning. In this article, the authors share their methods and acquired wisdom about surveying young children, as well as the results of their study--what children think about…

An essential component of applied behavior analysis programs for teaching children with autism is discrete trials teaching. Experiment 1 investigated the effectiveness of a self-instructional manual for teaching university students to correctly apply discrete-trials teaching to teach three tasks to confederates role-playing children with autism.…

Courtroom scenes in literature seem to have a special magic with students (probably because of all the trials seen on television, fiction or non-fiction). Students in a composition and literature course at the University of Nebraska, after reading Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," wrote "closing arguments" for either…

This paper describes the "Sickle Cell Counselor" (SCC), a goal based scenario on permanent display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. SCC is an exploratory hypermedia simulation program which provides users with a basic understanding of Sickle Cell Anemia. The user of the program plays the role of a genetic counselor, and,…

This document describes a family counseling course that incorporates role-plays as a principal component of the class and that uses undergraduate acting majors to role-play families. It notes that using these undergraduates as role-play families solves the problem of recruiting non-counselor education students and also serves as a unique training…

A study is reported that describes ways in which nonnative speakers assess, plan, and execute speech acts in certain situations. The subjects, 15 advanced English foreign-language learners, were given 6 speech act situations (two apologies, two complaints, and two requests) in which they were to role play along with a native speaker. The…

This paper describes the language training courses provided by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) to government employees and their dependents, focusing on the use of experiential language learning and "bridging" classroom study to practical applications. Bridges are an important part of the FSI training program not only because they…

Communication, especially in its non-verbal form, is essential in the interpersonal relations of students. The author describes a series of group activities using readings from You Always Communicate Something by Schwaarzroch and Wren to enhance students' non-verbal communication ability. (SE)

Fourth grade gifted students participated in group counseling in which they received relaxation training (RT) and transactional analysis (TA) while fifth grade gifted students received TA alone. Results showed that RT and TA together were more successful in reducing anxiety and improving interpersonal relations among students than TA alone. (SE)

A systematic training program in CUE: Communicating, understanding and empathy can have some significant effects on the participants. Even though the treatment in this investigation consisted of 14, 80-minute lessons, the high-school students who received the training were able to communicate empathy at a significantly higher level than their…