Literacy and boys is currently a hot issue in education and the media. This new book by award winning authors Knowles and Smith explores the facts and research on the topic and furnishes annotations of current, relevant journal and magazine articles. It gives strategies for making changes in the classroom and the home to help improve the literacy…

A collection of humorous plays with real-life settings and contemporary characters, Just Deal with It!, includes readers theatre scripts that poke gentle fun at annoying traits, school-based dilemmas, or the embarrassing moments that are part of growing up. With resolutions that emphasize creative solutions, good humor, or cleverness, these…

This paper tells the story of its authors' living and teaching experiences in Afghanistan from 1967 to 1969. The paper explains that "Don" taught at Kabul University, "Alleen" taught at the American International School of Kabul, and their three young children were in elementary school. It describes their day-to-day activities…

In the year 2000, news and entertainment programs dedicated a great deal of comedic attention to the presidential election. Taking a Uses and Gratifications approach, this paper examines the role of comedy among the young electorate (undergraduate students at a Texas university). It concludes comedic programs, while popular, are among many sources…

Examines the proliferation of counseling theories, each with a following, that are confusing not only to counselors but to students, clients, and the public. Presents a list of 105 theories and some humorous suggestions for dealing with them. (JAC)

Six brief articles discuss these aspects of language instruction: contrasting the imperative "let" with other imperative forms; distinguishing between perfect and nonperfect tenses in English; the various functions a question can perform; use of humor to illustrate language quirks; learning appropriate uses of count versus noncount nouns; and…

Examines the origin of "Counselnese", the limited professional language spoken by counselors. The 14 words in the language are defined and rules are outlined for improving communication with both counselors and noncounselors as well as those who don't speak acronyms. (Author/JAC)

Role playing differs from the more static teaching technique of simulation in its incorporation of originality and theatricality. From preparation to presentation, it is important to retain the element of play, avoid techniques of or tendencies toward psychodrama, and hold the pedagogical or evaluative purposes in mind. (MSE)

Manipulated speaker sex and "sick" jokes/no-jokes in printed speeches are evaluated by college students. "Sick" jokes generally resulted in negative evaluations of both speech and speaker; "sick" jokes may be enjoyed in certain social situations but should probably be left out of formal speeches. (PD)