An Introduction to Service-Learning for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Service-learning is on the rise again in schools and communities. Never in the history of our nation, have more students been involved in activities designed to integrate service in the community with academic learning in order to meet the needs of both the students themselves and the communities they serve. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (Skinner & Chapman, 1999), 32% of all public schools and nearly ½ of all high schools organized SL as part of the academic curriculum, with 53% reporting mandatory participation. This reciprocal engagement between schools and their communities has occurred in both k-12 and higher education over the past 20 years. The resurgence of SL as a tool for educational reform began anew in the 1980s with colleges and universities leading the way. Soon thereafter, the movement moved to high schools. The 1990s have seen emphasis shift to younger and younger students in both elementary and middle schools

Service-Learning and Character Education as Antidotes for children with egos that cannot perform

The author describes an after-school service-learning and character education program for students with emotional, behavioral, and learning problems and there nondisabled peers. SO Prepared for Citizenship honors the memory and tradition of Dr. Fritz Redl and David Wineman 50 years after the publication of their book, Children Who Hate. Written in the style of that classic book, this article describes the characteristics of students who have “egos that cannot perform” and program strategies designed to help children and adolescents develop controls from within

Parallel Pillars: How International Relations Theory Can Explicate and Rebalance the Three Pillars of the Responsibility to Protect

This paper explores the emerging United Nations principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and how the three major theoretical schools of international relations Constructivism, Liberalism, and Realism can contribute to understanding and implementing R2P. Using the three pillar framework of R2P outlined by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2009, this paper asserts that striking parallels can be found between pillar and theory. By exploring each R2P pillar through a particular theoretical lens, this paper seeks to provide a cross-theoretical analysis of R2P and demonstrate the need for a rebalancing of heavily Realist political thought and foreign policy with the insights provided by Constructivism and Liberalism. Annual UN Secretary-General R2P reports and case studies from Darfur, Kenya, and Libya are explored

Parallel Pillars: How International Relations Theory Can Explicate and Rebalance the Three Pillars of the Responsibility to Protect

This paper explores the emerging United Nations principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and how the three major theoretical schools of international relations Constructivism, Liberalism, and Realism can contribute to understanding and implementing R2P. Using the three pillar framework of R2P outlined by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2009, this paper asserts that striking parallels can be found between pillar and theory. By exploring each R2P pillar through a particular theoretical lens, this paper seeks to provide a cross-theoretical analysis of R2P and demonstrate the need for a rebalancing of heavily Realist political thought and foreign policy with the insights provided by Constructivism and Liberalism. Annual UN Secretary-General R2P reports and case studies from Darfur, Kenya, and Libya are explored

Fostering Learning, Fun, and Friendship Among Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and their Peers: The SO (Service-Learning Opportunities) Prepared for Citizenship program

It’s like a colored cube. You try to put it together, you get so frustrated you want to throw it at the wall and smash it. But you have to take time; you have to cooperate with it. You have to make it go the way it needs to go. When you finally do it, you’re like, man, I’m kind of glad I didn’t throw it at the wall and smash it. So I know how to do what I need to do now. I know what I need to do to make this cube work. And sometimes life is like that. And you need to be patient. You need to get all your anger out and cooperate with this cube- with the cube of life… yea. You need to stay in control. You need to cooperate. You need to have fun and see if they (others) will have fun with you. Just like this cube, and you can try. You could throw the cube at the wall; you can break the cube, but it won’t get you anywhere. You won’t learn anything. You won’t make new friends. You won’t have fun. Comments of a 5th grade boy with ADD and LD

Teaching Character Education to Students with Behavioral and Learning Disabilities through Mentoring Relationships

Despite nation-wide efforts to implement character education programs in schools, there is no research that specifically examines the effectiveness of these programs on students with behavioral and learning disabilities. SO (Service-Learning Opportunities) prepared for citizenship, an inclusive after school program, was designed to enhance the character development of elementary students by teaching specific character traits including: (1) responsibility and self-control; (2) cooperation and teamwork; and (3) respect and appreciation of diversity through language arts and other activities. The program relies on high school and college mentors to introduce the curriculum to the children and build friendships. In this ethnographic study, we examine participants’ knowledge of the curriculum and perceptions of the program. Data gathered from in-depth ethnographic interviews of 19 students with behavioral and other learning and language disabilities were coded through domain analysis. Descriptive statistics are included. Results indicate that students with disabilities: (1) expressed responsibilities for their actions; (2) responded to the ideas of cooperation and teamwork and respect and appreciation of diversity; (3) learned to make new friends; and (4) found learning about character to be fun and rewarding

Investigating humor in social interaction in people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review of the literature

Humor, both producing and appreciating, underpins positive social interactions. It acts as a facilitator of communication. There are clear links to wellbeing that go along with this form of social engagement. However, humor appears to be a seldom studied, cross-disciplinary area of investigation when applied to people with an intellectual disability. This review collates the current state of knowledge regarding the role of humor behavior in the social interactions of people with intellectual disabilities and their carers

Setting Sail for Early Learning Success: Using a Data-based Decision Making Process to Measure and Monitor Outcomes in Early Childhood Programs

The use of data to inform decision-making and monitor individual student progress is recognized as an important, yet elusive practice in early childhood programs. In this article, Data-based Navigation is presented as a five step data-based decision making process designed to help early childhood professionals measure and monitor desired programmatic outcomes. A case study that focuses on the reduction of challenging behaviors is provided to illustrate the process