This presentation of a speech to gifted teenagers discusses the pressures of giftedness. It focuses on the demands placed on gifted teenagers by others and by themselves, their need to develop self-confidence, their uniqueness and yet similarities with others, the balance between creativity and conformity, and the unimportance of popularity. (JDD)

Compliance, identification, internalization, and expectancy are delineated and defined as three conscious and one nonconscious reaction to social influence. Discussion centers on the implications of each reaction in terms of a classroom environment wherein teacher and students influence each other and are subject to the pressures of public…

Four aspects of violence in the lives of U.S. children are of great concern today: children are involved in violence at every level, there are no safe harbors for many children, family violence is frequent, and society accepts violence as part of its culture. (SM)

People with mental retardation have been overlooked in recreation/leisure and decision making, which are integral to full community participation. They must be provided with leisure education and decision-making skills. The article describes the Decision Making in Leisure model, explaining its use with individuals with mental retardation. (SM)

Constructivists believe that counselors and therapists help clients with the construction of knowledge by helping clients expand their alphabet into more flexible, viable, and complex acts of telling (language, conversations, narratives). Ways in which professionals can deconstruct the fundamental assumptions of the mental health professions and…

Aspects considered include cognitive and social development, the preschool prediction of learning disabilities, patterns of environmental processes in learning disabilities and mental retardation, environmental disadvantages, and biological determinants. (Author/DLS)

Trustees of theological institutions must be aware of the tension that exists for the seminary: the church's concern for the proper representation of its tradition in seminary teaching. A balance must be found for the often competing interests of their respective churches and American higher education. (Author/MSE)

Presents five individual narratives which describe the internal struggles experienced by teachers in resolving the empowerment issue, while learning to support and trust their students' learning. (MM)

Presents four conclusions about why boys turn violent and how parents and teachers can save them: violence prevention is everybody's business; education for parents and teachers is crucial; child abuse prevention is the cornerstone of preventing lethal youth violence; and detoxifying the social environment of children and youth is essential to…

An elementary school teacher discusses conflict management techniques appropriate for use with children in kindergarten through the fourth grade. Discussion first recapitulates developmental theory from several perspectives, including those of Freud, Erikson, Piaget, and profiles conflict theory. Illustrative contemporary social problems that…

Discusses symptoms of Alzheimer Disease and suggests client-centered counseling techniques to use with patients and family. Considers the disease's effect on family relationships relative to stage of family development. Examines the adjustment of the caregiving spouse. Offers practical suggestions for coping. (RC)

This article presents criteria researchers should consider when seeking to establish a socially valid understanding of problem behavior. Criteria include determining if behavior change is demonstrated in typical settings and whether the intervention promotes movement in the least restrictive environment, is conducted by families and/or school and…

Explores the problematic social constraints facing teachers who value diversity and who wish to develop their students' ability to think critically and to question dominant cultural values. Classifies these constraints into three areas: social pressures, social rules, and social values operating in the typical composition classroom. (KEH)

Gender, race, and class issues in education raise questions about social policy and curricular design. Pluralism helps people understand difference and sameness, offering feminism ways to connect desired curricular changes with changes occurring because of their forces. Women's studies breaks down barriers constraining academic subjects, creating…

Describes the teacher change process in an Oregon staff development program, examining faculty development within the framework of Maslow's theory that says people are motivated to satisfy physiological, safety/security, social, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs. Program evaluation demonstrated the interdependence of the cognitive and…