The effects of consultee-centered consultation on teacher behavior

The purpose of this investigation was to respond to two deficiencies in past consultation research. It described the consultee-centered consultation techniques which were used, and it attempted to demonstrate the effectiveness of consultee-centered consultation in changing observable teacher behavior. Evidence was presented to show how consultation was followed by a reduction in the negative verbal behavior of two out of three teachers who participated in the study. An attempt was made to show how this study related to Caplan's (1970) assumptions regarding consultee-centered case-consultation. It was concluded that multiple baseline designs offer a viable approach to experimental research in consultation with small numbers of subjects.     

Down with Dullness: Gaming the Academic Conference

It is a truism among academics that most of the creative work at a conference happens outside the formal sessions, at social gatherings. If this is so, why not drop the formal sessions entirely? In this article, I propose a method for making an entire conference into a formalized social gathering, with a structure that both encourages the exchange of ideas and also records the evolution of thought. In this method, named “Ludium,” games replace presentations as the unifying element. Theme-appropriate games unlock creative juices and allow for soft entry points for networking. A conference meta-game elicits common views about the standing of ideas. A rapid review session concludes the conference and summarizes major points. Past experience with conferences in this vein indicates that indeed a great deal of solid academic work gets done. Moreover, everyone has fun, and the results of the conference, the “sense of the group,” can easily and immediately be broadcast to the public. All of these outcomes stand in stark contrast to the outcome of typical academic conferences.     

Telecommunications

R. Terry Ellmore The Illustrated Dictionary of Broadcast-CATV-Telecommunications (Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.: TAB Books, 1977—$14.95)

first is Edward L. Safford CBer's Handy Manual of SSB (Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.: TAB Books, 1977—$2.25, paper)

Victor F.G. Veley Third Class FCC License Study Guide (Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.: TAB Books, 1977—$9.95/6.95)

Communication by Satellite: Perspectives for Users (Institut International de la Communication, 3535 Chemin de la Reine-Marie, bureau 218, Montreal H3V 1H8, Quebec, Canada—$12.00, paper).

Paul Polishuk and Michael O'Bryant, Exposition Proceedings: Telecommunications and Economic Development (Horizon House, 610 Washington St., Dedham, Mass. 02026—$100 for the set of two volumes, paper).     

Film History

David A. Cook, A History of Narrative Film (New York: W. W. Norton, 1981 -- $15.95 paper)

Gerald Mast, A Short History of the Movies, 3rd edition (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Educational Publishing, 1981 -- $12.95 paper, issued in hardcover by University of Chicago Press for $20.00)

A. R. Fulton, Motion Pictures: The Development of an Art Revised Edition (Norman: The University of Oklahoma Press, 1981 -- $14.95 in hardcover)

Richard Koszarski (ed.), The Rivals of D. W. Griffith: Alternative Auteurs, 1913-18 (First published by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, now available from New York Zoetrope, 31 East Twelfth Street, New York City 10003 for $4.95 in paperback)

Anthony Slide and Edward Wagenkneckt, Fifty Great American Silent Films, 1912- 1920 (New York: Dover, 1980 -- $6.95 paper).

Peter Roffman and Jim Purdy, The Hollywood Social Problem Film: Madness, Despair and Politics from the Depression to the Fifties (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1981 -- $25.00 cloth/$12.95 paperback)

I. G. Edmonds and Reiko Mimura, Paramount Pictures and the People Who Made Them (San Diego: A. S. Barnes, 1980 -- $17.50 hardcover)     

MAXIMIZING COMPUTER USE AMONG THE ELDERLY IN RURAL SENIOR CENTERS

Two prominent trends are simultaneously occurring in our society today: the aging of our population and an increased reliance on computers. Through a federal grant, Iowa Legal Aid provides computers in 85 rural senior citizen centers across Iowa to foster increased knowledge about program services for the elderly and to enhance their social connectedness with others through e-mail. To understand the attitudes of rural elderly toward computers, focus groups were held with two groups in the community senior centers. The results identified strategies that are necessary if seniors are to maximize the use of computers available to them. This article has three purposes: (1) to review the literature regarding computer usage among the elderly; (2) to describe the findings of focus groups held with elderly; and (3) to identify strategies to enhance computer use in senior citizen centers and maximize the connectivity of elders in their communities.     

Unlikely Crusader: John Eldred Swearingen and African-American Education in South Carolina

Although not a well-known figure either in educational or South Carolina history, John Eldred Swearingen had a profound impact on the schools of the Palmetto State. Guiding the schools to transition from 19th-century academies to 20th-century schools, Swearingen held office from 1907–1922. During these years, Swearingen oversaw unprecedented legislation impacting attendance, funding, and curriculum. Swearingen's stance on African American education was unlike many of his contemporaries—he used a variety of methods to improve education and raiseconsciousness amongst his White politician counterparts.

All of these facts would make him a worthy subject of biographical study; however, that he achieved all these things while blind makes his life and career all the more worthy. Almost as overlooked as Swearingen's contributions to South Carolina is the role the state played in the Brown v. Board of Education decision via the Briggs v. Eliott case. Drawing from Swearingen's own words, the papers of his contemporaries, and both legal and historical analysis of the involved legal cases to present an overview of both Swearingen and Briggs, this article argues that without Swearingen's visionary leadership—or if he had not been undone politically—the road to Briggs would have been quite different—if it existed at all.     

Behavior and achievement relationships with emotionally disturbed children: An applied study

Reciprocal relationships between on-task behavior and certain academic performance targets have been demonstrated in a number of short-term applied behavior analysis studies. These studies have not had emotionally disturbed or behavior disordered (ED/BD) children as subjects, and are generally not carried out over sufficient intervals to measure effects on standardized tests of achievement. Studies of ongoing programs over longer periods of time have shown inconsistent results when comparing levels of on-task behavior with standardized achievement gains. The present study questions the hypothesized relationship between on-task behaviors and standardized achievement with ED/BD children. Further, it seeks to determine significant relationships between certain specific on-task behaviors (e.g., completing assignments) and standardized achievement. Forty ED/BD children participated in a token economy over the course of an entire academic year. Minimal pre-post achievement gains (p < .01) and a high level of on-task behavior (84%) were noted, but there were no significant relationships between on-task behaviors and measured achievement. The results are discussed in the context of similar findings from other ongoing programs with ED/BD students. Suggestions are offered for investigating other classes of behavior (e.g., academic engaged time) with these children, in order to discover more consistent behavior-achievement relationships.     

Defensive burying in the rat: A behavioral field analysis

Time spent in various behaviors by the rat was recorded in a defensive burying paradigm. Experiment 1 revealed that rats spent more time burying the shock prod than a control prod and that doubling the size of the test chamber did not have a significant effect on the time spent in any behavior. In Experiment 2, the location of bedding material in a two-compartment test chamber was found to affect the occurrence of burying (both the shock and control prods) and burrowing behavior. Burying did not occur when bedding was not available in the shock compartment but was located in the escape compartment. Burrowing was more likely to occur when bedding was in both compartments than when it was in only one compartment. Immobility and escape latencies were shorter than burying latencies in all subjects. Burying was viewed as belonging to a second stage of defensive behavior.