Discusses how teachers can offer an inclusive setting for personal and academic growth by orchestrating group work to engage and develop unique learners. The article emphasizes that a focused whole-group discussion of working preferences affirms the presence and validity of diverse styles and maximizes the climate for learning in the classroom.…

An adult literacy program at M'Chigeeng First Nation (Manitoulin Island, Ontario) helps learners become aware of themselves, their skills, family dynamics, and community involvement. The holistic approach uses the Seven Grandfathers' teachings of the Ojibway to develop mind, body, spirit, and emotions. The program is defining self-management and…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a relationship-focused intervention on the socioemotional well-being of 20 young children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder. Weekly intervention sessions encouraged parents to use a responsive teaching curriculum to promote children's socioemotional development. The intervention resulted…

Describes two elementary teachers' efforts to adapt and implement cooperative learning strategies to meet urban second graders' educational needs. The teachers divided students into groups and created jobs and a system of accountability. Students viewed videotapes of their group activities and evaluated themselves. (SM)

The RECEPTION GAME teaches conversation skills to adult foreign language learners with positions in international business and diplomacy. The design combines elements of simulation and experiential learning and takes into account conversation's rapport-building function, turn-taking mechanisms, open-ended structure, listening demands for following…

Annually assessed students' academic and social competence from grades 7 through 12. Found that school dropout rate was lower for at-risk students who earlier had, compared to those who had not, participated in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular involvement was only modestly related to early school dropout for students who had been judged…

Teacher, parent, peer, and self-ratings of social acceptance, academic and athletic competence, physical appearance, and conduct were obtained for 463 third graders and 434 sixth graders. The complexity of the relationships revealed among these variables has implications for the reflected self-appraisal process and for programs to enhance…

A study of 81 experienced teachers reports that to understand and survive classroom life, a knowledge of interpersonal politics was essential. The qualitative data set disclosed seven major categories of ineffective principal influences on teacher thinking and behavior: lack of participatory decision making, lack of support, favoritism,…

This article describes characteristics of Asperger syndrome (AS) and the syndrome's impact in the home, school, and community. Social, behavioral and emotional, cognitive, academic, sensory, and motor characteristics of students with AS are reviewed. The restricted range of interests students with AS have is discussed. (Contains references.)…

A British summer adventure education program aims to re-engage high risk secondary students into society. A qualitative evaluation found that although the participants had fun, there was not enough focus on transferring skills to daily life. Because of the many factors affecting the experience, any difference made in the lives of the youths was…

A program designed to enhance children's prosocial development was conducted in three suburban elementary schools for five years. Findings for students from kindergarten through grade four emphasize the need for supportive teacher-student relationships and opportunities for student decision making, autonomy, and collaborative interaction. (TJH)

The Bronx Community College's Department of Student Development has provided an array of developmental minicourses to help incoming freshmen acquire coping skills and a new social support system. These courses foster cognitive, affective, and interpersonal development. (TE)

Videotaped exemplars of social situations were successfully used to model, rehearse, and provide directed feedback of appropriate alternatives to aggressive behaviors by two male special education students (ages 13 and 14). Following a reduction in levels of aggressive behavior, peer willingness to interact with the students improved. (JW)

An exploratory study involving 31 families found that chronically ill children and their parents express needs and concerns to their pediatricians in veiled ways. Physicians sometimes provide reassurance too soon rather than attending to the family's underlying pathology. Vignettes describe the families' styles of communication with their…

The Transition Checklist was developed to compare characteristics of mainstream settings with performance levels of students entering those settings. The checklist assesses classroom instructional methods and materials, course content, evaluation techniques, and classroom management; interpersonal/social relations; and related school environments,…