Research was conducted to determine: (1) what school districts and schools do to encourage teachers to gain proficiency and use microcomputers in their teaching; (2) how teachers' microcomputer-based teaching practices respond to the actions of districts and schools; and (3) which district and school activities have the greatest incentive value…

A discussion of how teachers perceive students and interact with them points out that one characteristic of an effective teacher is a high level of interactive skills. Selected teacher behaviors which enhance the quality of teacher-student contacts are discussed. It is emphasized that modeling desirable behavior is a primary responsibility for…

This paper provides students with a brief outline of behavioral principles and behavior change techniques, and describes various means of behavior change including operant conditioning. Methods discussed include reinforcement, extinction, punishment, response cost, time-out, overcorrection, training, and data collection for taking a baseline.…

A community-focused health promotion program for older adults was planned and implemented in Fairfax County, Virginia. A needs assessment was conducted to determine the social health problems and behavior patterns of the older adults in the community. After analysis of factors that may impinge upon the decision-making processes of those who might…

This module (part of a series of 24 modules) is on management of the mainstreamed classroom. The genesis of these materials is in the 10 "clusters of capabilities," outlined in the paper, "A Common Body of Practice for Teachers: The Challenge of Public Law 94-142 to Teacher Education." These clusters form the proposed core of…

This article reviews the basics of learning channels and how specification of stimuli can help enhance verbal behavior. This article will define learning channels and the role of the ability matrix in training verbal behavior.

This experiment involved training students in self-instruction (specifically, teaching them to verbally cue and instruct themselves through given assignments), as an alternative to the direct intervention method for increasing on-task behavior and decreasing disruptive behavior in the elementary school classroom. Assignment completion rather than…

This pamphlet, provided in both English and Spanish, presents a brief overview of Situational Reinforcement (SR), a teaching methodology used in the materials published by the Institute of Modern Languages. Explanations are given concerning its theoretical basis, its practical applications, the history of its development, and the support it finds…

Eighty three applicants for empployment in a hardware supply manufacturing company participated in a study of the effects of anxiety, praise and the awareness of time remaining on employment testing. Two control groups and three testing groups--praise, time, and praise and time--were administered the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), a…

Part II of a 3-part report. See also AA 501 768, AA 501 770, AA 501 771, and AA 501 772.

The role of reinforcement has long been an issue in learning theory. The effects of reinforcement in learning were investigated under circumstances which made the information necessary for correct performance equally available to reinforced and nonreinforced subjects. Fourth graders (N=36) were given a pre-test of 20 items from the Peabody Picture…

The issue of Directions contains 10 articles which address the question of what, besides the legal mandate, does it take to make placement and programing work for hearing impaired individuals. Entries include the following titles and authors: "The IEP (individualized education program) and Deaf Children" (M. Deninger); "The Deaf Child and the…

Withdrawn and disruptive students can make progress in an alternative school where they receive individualized instruction and attention with a system of earned credits and fines. The student body in an alternative school may be hetereogeneous, ranging from the borderline mentally retarded and learning disabled to the emotionally disturbed. Their…

Acceptance of handicapped students by their peers is a major component of success in the mainstreamed classroom. How teachers plan for interactions and lessons determines the degree to which social acceptance is achieved. The teacher's behavior models desired social acceptance, and the structure of learning activities evidence academic…

Following a literature review on the subjects of the decline in student writing abilities and increased student writing apprehension, this paper offers teachers information on a basic writing program that reduces writing anxiety and improves writing skills through large doses of positive reinforcement. The second section of the paper discusses the…