This book is designed to support individuals, particularly in higher education settings, gain knowledge and skills related to critical dialogues that support effective conflict management. Higher education institutions and its stakeholders such as faculty, staff, students, and administrators are often perceived for their proclivity to foster…

A high performing school is described as one where student achievement is high and student and teacher absenteeism is low. Student behavior is such that teachers seldom have to control them or tell them what to do. This results in greater time on task, higher teacher morale, low teacher absenteeism, and improved parental support. One other…

This guide is designed to teach foster parents, direct care providers, and house parents how to help children develop interpersonal relationship skills. The book focuses on developing the whole child through intellectual, psychological, and moral development. Specific techniques for creating a nurturing environment for children are discussed, as…

This document is a summary of a book entitled tentatively "Discipline: A Socially Literate Solution" by the same author. The book, based on seven years of research and development, is intended to be a manual for educators and students. The method described takes as its starting point that discipline problems can be reduced significantly if…

The communication processes involved in parent/teacher or parent/teacher/student conferences are addressed in this booklet. Noting that teachers handle most conferences without difficulty, the booklet concentrates on "problem situations," such as when parents and teachers disagree, when misunderstandings occur, or when a student is not performing…

Because the intervention of a neutral third party is currently gaining favor as an alternative form of dispute resolution, this book explores the process of mediation in the context of managing struggle and examines some of the characteristics of mediators, their training and ethics, and the techniques and skills of good mediation. The theory…

The most effective alternative to punishment for violent or disruptive student behavior is to provide children with tools they will need for living peacefully with one another. This guide for elementary school classes examines ways in which a peaceful environment can be achieved and maintained in the classroom. Divided into six units which are…

Effective organizational communication can greatly enhance the quality of the school environment and professional/personal relationships. This book focuses on successful communication skills that can help make the school environment a productive experience for administrators, school staff, students, and parents. Chapter 1 discusses the importance…

This book is the second of a three-volume series on conflict resolution for educational administrators. Following the introduction, the first three chapters discuss the following communication skills critical to communication--building rapport, listening and pacing, and chunking and problem solving. Chapter 4 provides a generic problem-solving…

Analyzing particular encounters, this report identifies proven strategies to better control hostile conversations. Chapter 1, "Defusing the Angry Screamer," indicates the importance of controlling both voice and word choice, depersonalizing tirades, ascertaining triggering events, and being attuned to signs of escalation. Chapter 2,…

Productive learning occurs when educators work together to create new visions, analyze important issues, and evaluate outcomes. This book explores how educators can effectively engage in peer problem solving, focusing on three aspects of the process: (1) models for consulting with colleagues in problem solving; (2) communication skills necessary…

This book is a group leader's curriculum guide to help students build positive interpersonal relationships through group activities. Chapter 1 is designed to help the reader become a successful group leader. Included are discussions on group structure, effective group leadership skills, hints on dealing with potential problem areas, processing and…

This teaching guide presents a rationale for proactive social skills training for persons with mental retardation as well as over 100 examples of such instruction across the K-12 continuum. Chapter 1 provides a conceptual framework of social competence with principles of what, when, and how to teach social skills. Chapter 2 discusses the direct…

Advice for the effective administration of higher education institutions is presented in this guide for practitioners. The characteristics of effective and ineffective administrators are discussed as they apply to the specific demands of college and university administration. The need for a cooperative working relationship between faculty and…

The methods for teaching language arts presented in this book are based on the premises that creative problem solving is the key motivation to the mastery of language and that when teachers and children work at mastering communication skills through solving problems creatively, they use basic mental skills--attentiveness, fact recall--or skills of…