Preventing Youth Violence in Urban Schools: An Essay Collection. Urban Diversity Series No. 107.
The three essays of this collection explore the prevention of violence in urban schools. The first, "Preventing Violence in Schools," by Mary Hatwood Futrell and Lee Etta Powell, focuses on how to prevent violence in schools and offers recommendations on what schools and communities can do. The factors contributing to school violence are numerous, complex, and mostly community-related. A number of strategies are available for addressing the problem from a classroom or schoolwide perspective, but others can be suggested for individual students, helping them focus on discipline as positive behavior. Investment programs such as tutoring, counseling, jobs, and recreation and youth facilities would be more cost-effective in the long-run than such measures as hiring more security. The second essay, "Gang Activity at School-, Prevention Strategies," by Shirley Lal, reviews what is known about gangs and their impact and consequences in schools. It also suggests a variety of strategies for preventing gang activity and altering negative gang behavior. The final essay, "School Violence and the Legal Rights of Students: Selected Issues," by Dorianne Beyer, considers the effects of the pulic perception of widespread and growing school violence, which leads to a .ituation in which the rights of school administrators come to take precedence over the rights of students when school safety is at stake. The current judicial trend highlights society's fears and disrespect for children. Contains a total of 90 references. (SLD) ***************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the originil document. *********************************************************************** 1
Dimensions of school-based violence to and by children: an overview of recent literature
School violence, defined in a variety of ways, is a common feature of contemporary education systems. While there is little empirical evidence to indicate either a significant increase (or decrease) in the phenomenon, it is accurate to recognise that it is a concern which has been the focus of continued attention by politicians, administrators, teachers and parents in most countries. This paper provides a summary of recent literature on the issue. It scopes in particular the core issues of causation, incidence and impact, resilience and intervention/response strategies; in doing so, it draws upon an ecosystemic model of analysis.
Communicative Competence: Theory and Classroom Practice
ABSTRACT Within the framework of viewing communicative competence as a prerequisite to linguistic competence, rather than vice versa, this paper considers the following: (1) the nature of communicative competence; (2) the implications of communicative competence for second language teaching; and (3) ways in which the teacher can begin to make a foreign language program more meaningful. Communicative competeuce is defined as what native speakers know which enables them to interact effectively with each other. Implications for the language teacher include: (T) the need for tests which measure the ability to use language; (2) the irrelevancy of sequencing surface features; (3) the need for emphasis on non-lizguistic aspects of communication; and (4) the need to re-examiLe attitudes toward students and language teaching. Practical suggestins for implementing communicative competence in the classroom include the use of spontaneous role-playing, discussions, games, radio, and the telephone. (AM)