Search

The article focuses on the utilization of role playing, mathematical and language skills in the Travel Costs Money project for educable mentally retarded students at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois. The project aimed to teach the students the necessity of budgeting money when traveling. Students were given roles to play and were told to decide to take a vacation with their earnings. They were told to decide on the best means of transportation, clothing, food and accommodation and entertainment suitable to their budget. At the end of the project, each students wrote up his trip in diary form and made out expense sheets.

The article outlines various activities developed by a special education teacher in Yonkers, New York to raise mentally retarded children's interest in aviation. These activities include a study of individuals involved in aviation development such as the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Also suggested are additional reading materials, follow-up activities, vocabulary enlargement, films related to aviation, and mathematical concepts. These approaches developed interest in flight, airplanes, pilots, eating on planes, tickets, and the various aspects of plane travel.

The article discusses several studies suggesting the failure of educational provisions for children who showed mental retardation to deliver positive results. The studies revealed that such methods of teaching impedes their development. Some of the basic allegations attributed to such strategies are that labeling harms the children, that special class placement is bad for the child's self concept, that segregated programs are fruitless and that teachers contribute to the self fulfilling prophesy of low achievement. However some of the studies revealed that other kinds of services are more appropriate for some children.

The article discusses the importance of motivating mentally retarded children to learn. According to the author, the lack of motivation of this group of children could be a contributory factor to their inability to learn despite the ample resources available to them. One issue to be addressed when motivating mentally retarded children is to eliminate their negative perception of education and their ability to learn. methods to be applied by teachers when trying to motivate the children include the use of materials that they could understand and the expression of praise to their small achievements.

The article discusses the Camp Climb-Up, a two-week therapeutic camp for elementary school age children of average intelligence presenting adjustment problems. The camp is designed to effect on therapeutic changes the camper and congregate information that would provide follow up services to parents and teachers. Goal attainment scaling is used in this learning method to evaluate the extent to which camper sets the goal at the camp. Each goal is weighted according to its importance. The procedure is useful in establishing goals and evaluating the extent of the children's attainment.

The article outlines the strategies developed by a special education teacher in Cranford, New Jersey for the teaching of Indian culture to handicapped children. In the study, 12 educable children were allowed to sit inside a tepee. Other Indian-related materials used in the study were bamboo poles, muslin, drums, and headdress. Also, a chart was made of the children's given names with their chosen Indian names. The major outcome of the activity was the growth of a feeling of satisfaction in the ability to participate successfully in both individual and group activities.