The 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas has raised a debate over how historians and teachers should portray this moment in history. Some view Columbus as a hero whose courage helped to provide a foundation for modern civilization in the Americas, while others see him as a villain who exploited indigenous people and…

A study (one of a series) sought to identify interpersonal events related to implicit communication. Implicit communication is defined as nonverbal behavior which serves to transmit "subintended" information. The study explored whether interpersonal roles which account for part of the process of nonverbal communication (and which were…

Often the way one communicates ethical choices is conditioned by the dynamics of the communication process more than by a well-developed "ethical system." Sociodrama is an excellent method of teaching both ethics and communication skills. The technique can be used for playing out any real-life situation, but unlike much actual life experience, it…

Guidelines and examples for using dramatization to teach elementary German are presented. Dramatization can be used productively as an aid to learning even at the very beginning of a course or in an academic environment that is hostile to innovation. In order to learn an utterance in a foreign language, the students must be able to project their…

The content and organization of an 8-week evening course for fathers, developed at Boston University, are discussed in this workshop report. Participants' characteristics that should be considered by the group leader are also discussed. The first half of the course focused on learning to listen and respond to one's child, whereas the second half…

The development and teaching of a Spanish-English preschool career unit (the Fruit and Vegetable Industry unit), developed to help migrant children enhance their self-images by recognizing the importance of their families' contribution to food production, is described in this paper. A brief description of the development of this unit is provided…

Presented are the skills needed for facilitating and linking. A role play experience provides the opportunities for issues and concerns to be made explicit. The role play process permits conflict points to be made explicit and to be specified in a psychologically safe context. Because the role play is "make believe," there is permission…

Although the problem of aggression generates considerable social concern, aggressive delinquents are rarely provided with more than minimal treatment following legal processing and incarceration. When treatment is available, it usually consists of some form of ineffective or even counterproductive punishment administered in the context of a token…

Problem-solving and role-playing can be used successfully even in the second semester of law school, serving as a bridge between traditional analytical and doctrinal education and the more realistic simulation and clinical experiences of the third year. Students can gain sufficient experience to perform proficiently in more advanced courses. (MSE)

This paper describes the use of drama with severely socially challenged children, especially children with autistic spectrum disorders. This approach stresses the importance of early make-believe and the use of drama to help children explore social narratives from the inside and thus improve social competence. (Contains references.) (DB)

Courtroom scenes in literature seem to have a special magic with students (probably because of all the trials seen on television, fiction or non-fiction). Students in a composition and literature course at the University of Nebraska, after reading Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," wrote "closing arguments" for either…

This paper describes the "Sickle Cell Counselor" (SCC), a goal based scenario on permanent display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. SCC is an exploratory hypermedia simulation program which provides users with a basic understanding of Sickle Cell Anemia. The user of the program plays the role of a genetic counselor, and,…

This paper describes the language training courses provided by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) to government employees and their dependents, focusing on the use of experiential language learning and "bridging" classroom study to practical applications. Bridges are an important part of the FSI training program not only because they…

An advanced graduate level course in family therapy, "Theories and Methods of Marriage and Family Therapy" is described in this document. It is intended to provide an overview of various perspectives, theories, and methods used in marriage and family counseling. Particular emphasis is given the delineation of the distinctions between and among not…

This multiple case study describes a socialization intervention program for three multiply handicapped 8-13 year-old children that was designed to teach prosocial behavior and promote generalization to non-teaching situations. Behavioral instruction procedures (such as role-play and role-play rehearsal) were used to teach peer social skills and…