Presents two examples of matrix technique discussion units, which are intended to provide some initial structure to aid teachers in planning classroom discussion. (Author/MKR)

Suggests that effective communication between teacher and students will help eliminate and deter behavioral problems. Discusses such strategies as keeping pace with the student, redefining behavior, and using presuppositions with connectives to help achieve this goal. (DH)

Describes methods for engaging a large number of students simultaneously in Socratic dialogue. (JRH)

Examines the contribution that the teaching of controversial issues could make to student learning in the science classroom. Discusses the nature of controversial issues, some general guidelines for handling them, and various classroom techniques that might foster open-ended problem solving using small group discussion. (Author/MKR)

This report details an exploratory study that employs qualitative methods to characterize the academic language used by teachers and students in 4th and 5th grade mainstream science classrooms. Teacher oral language, and to some degree student talk, was observed during content instruction. This type of data allows for a broad descriptive…

Presents techniques aimed at promoting a higher level of student-faculty interaction and active student participation in the learning process in introductory physics lecture classes. Discusses group problem solving, the use of flash cards, and assessment. (JRH)

The purpose of this study was to explore how the needs, actions, and beliefs of teacher and students interact with the constraints of the classroom and the curriculum to establish an atmosphere conducive to effective learning of physics in grade 11. An interpretive research methodology was used to investigate the students' and teachers' needs,…

Presented are some suggestions and information designed to increase the biology teacher's awareness of the potential for participation in discussion by each individual pupil in his/her class. (PB)

Instructional strategies used by a first-grade French immersion teacher to combine science and language arts instruction are described. They involve developing themes from the science curriculum, integrating content objectives and instructional strategies characteristic of both subject areas, using teacher talk and using discourse incorporation…

Proposes that students learn about their environment by taking field trips into their own schoolyard. Students observe, classify, hypothesize, infer, predict, and measure aspects of the schoolyard. Engages the students in discussion to process their experiences. (MDH)

Investigates student engagement patterns in high school science classes. Finds that three to five students, known as target students, monopolized classroom interactions in most classes and they tended to be high-achieving students. Most target students were male and tended to be persistent. Provides a student involvement questionnaire in the…

A functional paradigm was used as a means of interpreting why teachers and classrooms function as they do. An assessment of the nature and sources of the functional paradigms of high school biology teachers was the major consideration of this study. A population of 28 experienced high school biology teachers recognized for exemplary teaching…

Some researchers have argued that it is important to match teaching styles with students' learning styles, although a relatively small amount of research has been done on learning styles in science. This study focused on the differences between male and female secondary school chemistry students in an effort to determine the relationship of gender…

Reports on the results of a University of Arizona experiment that used electronic mail to supplement traditional modes of student/instructor interaction in four courses in electrical and computer engineering. Results indicated that students liked electronic mail to supplement their discourse with their instructors. (TW)