Suggestions for motivating gifted underachieving secondary students include independent study projects for credit, science fair projects, curriculum compacting, the use of adult mentors, and other approaches which emphasize building on student interests. (DB)

Reviews eight instruments designed to assess motivation to communicate in the classroom, including cross-situational anxiety (communication apprehension and shyness), situational anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Communication Anxiety Inventory, Form State), cross-situational willingness (willingness to communicate and communication…

Discusses how to expand the spelling vocabularies of students with learning disabilities, improve dictionary skills, instill a desire to spell words correctly, and perfect the abilities of students to detect and correct spelling errors. The methods used for junior high students with learning disabilities are described. (CR)

Boys need special attention when it comes to reading. Literacy statistics show that boys are not getting what they need to be successful readers. Guys Read is a literacy program focused on the needs of boys. It offers parents, educators, and librarians concrete ways to engage boys in reading (e.g., encouraging them to read the books they want).…

This manual adapts the pedagogy used on the playing field, the studio, and the stage to the classroom. This method, called "Pep Talk," encourages teachers to: (1) create a need to know; (2) challenge students to know; (3) show how to know; (4) apply know-how; and (5) know how to inspire cooperation. Pep talk is the method coaches use when they…

In this digest the problem of underachievement among gifted students is examined. Gifted underachievers manifest three behavior patterns in the school setting: non-communication and withdrawal, passive compliance, and aggressive/disruptive behavior. Gifted underachievers have been identified in greater numbers recently. Some of the causes of…

Two motivational theories considered particularly useful in administering early childhood programs are discussed, and guidelines for motivating staff, parents, and children are provided. First, the two-factor theory of motivation within organizations, as outlined by Herzberg (1959), is described. Offered in this section are a list of motivators…

The guidelines in this booklet were designed to assist institutions and individuals concerned with children's books and reading in organizing programs and courses to help teachers stimulate voluntary reading among their students. Topics discussed in the booklet include the need for voluntary reading, the teacher's role in promoting such reading,…

Suggestions are presented for parents who wish to build reading habits in their young children. Several books for beginning readers, first-grade readers, and second-grade readers are suggested. (CB)

Describes three reading modeling techniques for use with exceptional learners: (1) repeated readings (students reread a short, meaningful passage several times until satisfactory fluency is reached); (2) neurological impress (the child and adult model read aloud, simultaneously); and (3) imitative or echoic methods (the child repeats phrases or…

The paper reviews research on normally hearing students that has implications for understanding the motivation of hearing-impaired students, suggesting that classroom motivational orientation of students depends upon which orientation is rewarded and encouraged. This paper focuses on three orientations: autonomy, competition, and cooperation.…

Building on research, literature, and practical experience, this book shows how academic research can be connected to academic teaching activity in such a way as to ensure that neither operates in a vacuum, and that each can be enhanced by the other. The chapters are: (1) "Overview: Reshaping Teaching in Higher Education To Support the Links…

Challenging students can be hard to influence and harder to change. Rules mean little to them, rewards and punishments may have only temporary results, and even consequences that can teach better behavior are often ineffective. This book offers a number of new concepts and strategies that have evolved from the authors' efforts to find better ways…

This book shows teachers how to reclaim their students' attention and, in the process, help them absorb information and stay on task. There are over 30 tips that are practical, not always obvious, and well tested. Three parts focus on: (1) "HotTips for Opening the Lesson" (e.g., fill the room with I.D. posters, ask opening questions, get…

The physical environment of the learning disabilities classroom is an important factor in shaping student attitudes toward learning and toward themselves. Five dimensions to consider in analyzing a classroom include visual signs, auditory messages, kinesthetic input, tactile input, and awareness of time (i.e., seasons, current events, and student…