This article presents a qualitative study of six families of children with disabilities and their perspectives on humor. The findings revealed that the families had an understanding of humor that went beyond the generalized humor construct. They embraced both the concept of humor and "other types of fun." Furthermore, the families' attempts at…

The self-defeating behavior of some students can often make even the most persistent of teachers to feel discouraged. The purpose of this article is to explain and provide a research-based rationale for the use of teacher verbal feedback prompts that convince students of their ability to succeed on a task. He discusses how to understand the…

Three academically deficient and behavior disordered male students, 9 to 13 years of age, participated in a treatment program to improve their written composition skills. A multiple-baseline across-subjects design was used to analyze the effects of three treatment procedures on the number and variety of adjectives per T-unit (minimal terminable…

While no one method can possibly solve all the problems in an educational system, the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) addresses many. The PSI method is a self-paced, mastery learning approach based on reinforcement and personal attention. It is typified by five characteristics that help to meet or minimize the adverse aspects of…

Positive ideas were generated from two programs sponsored by the Jefferson Community College (Louisville, Kentucky) Black Affairs Advisory Committee and given during Black History Week. The first program consisted of a panel of seven black professionals from the Louisville community which discussed "What It Takes to Make It: A Message for…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Program Description: The Assertive Discipline Program at John Swett Elementary clearly establishes student behavior expectation and consequences. In addition to these two outcomes, the program offers varying degrees of positive acknowledgment for students meeting or exceeding the expectations.…

In the last decade considerable attention has been directed to the question of how teachers may increase the academic performance of their students. This monograph summarizes the research findings and suggests some underlying principles of effective instruction. Recent research has reinforced findings that teachers who adopt the principles of…

A study tested the generally accepted theory that low income children fail to achieve adequate levels of literacy because there is a vast discontinuity between home and school in the functions of literacy, language, and the nature of typical teaching/learning experiences. Thirty-two elementary school children were studied. Parents and teachers of…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which written error-correcting feedback on teacher-made criterion-referenced tests results in increased achievement of high school students taking algebra. In addition, student attitudes toward chapter tests and changes that may occur in those attitudes resulting from teacher treatment of…

This learning module, one of a series of 127 performance-based teacher education (PBTE) learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational teachers, deals with using reinforcement techniques. Various aspects of the technique of reinforcement and its use are discussed, including positive reinforcement, negative…

As part of a statewide campaign to increase both awareness of the problem of littering and illegal dumping, and participation in recycling activities, Humboldt County, California, began a recycling and antilittering education project in 1981. Pre- and postcampaign survey data suggest that the 9-month program, relying largely on television and…

The Michigan Department of Education with assistance from the Educational Testing Service has compiled the results of valid educational research studies on specific topics into a report to be used as a guide for developing effective schools. It is intended for use by practitioners to help bridge the gap between educational researchers and…

To increase the participation of child caregivers in mandated inservice training provided at a metropolitan adult/vocational center, changes were made in the curriculum and classroom environment and the research literature was reviewed for ways of activating adult learners. Several specific program innovations were implemented, including the…

Presbyopia, a condition which affects the eye's ability to change focus or to produce a clear image, makes an appropriate analogy through which to consider educational access for special needs students. Presbyopia can be corrected with properly fitted glasses; new "glasses" should be "prescribed" for teachers so that distortions related to student…

This paper summarizes research findings on teacher behavior and its relationship to student reading achievement. Research studies included in the review identified actual teaching behaviors, included observations of teacher-learner interactions, were limited to elementary school, and were conducted between 1966 and 1972. Subjects covered in the…