In this study, we compare the first and the last sessions from an online oral proficiency course aimed at doctoral students conducted in the virtual world Second Life. The study attempts to identify how supportive moves made by the teacher encourage learners to engage with language, and what type of linguistic behaviour in the learners leads to…

Discussion of a prototype intelligent education system called WOMBAT (Weighted Objectives Method by Arguing with the Tutor) focuses on dialogue and negotiation in collaborative problem solving. The results of a formative evaluation, in which the system was used by 10 subjects who commented on various aspects of the design, are presented. (Contains…

The purpose of the study is to share reflections from 140 non-Hispanic undergraduate students and 83 Hispanic students who have participated in cooperative written examinations for group grades. Reflections are clustered by themes identified from the students' comments using Van Manen's (1990) hermeneutic phenomonological approach, which is how…

A 1996 study attributed adolescent remedial readers' low comprehension to poor motivation, lack of experience, and egocentricity. Secondary teachers can help by connecting reading assignments to real-world learning experiences, providing self-directed activities, and inviting collaborative learning and varied self-expression. A San Diego program…

Presents an evaluation of SIRNET (Schools in a Regional Network), a project on the use of computer networks in education carried out in five secondary schools in Norway. Highlights include satisfaction with the learning environment; cooperation and help-seeking; basic conditions for a distributed model; and criteria for quality in connecting…

The eight chapters of this theme issue discuss recent research and theory concerning computer-based integrated learning systems. Following an introduction about their theoretical background and current use in schools, the effects of using computer-based integrated learning systems in the elementary school classroom are considered. (SLD)

A microanalysis of play in a fourth-grade classroom highlights its governing patterns and rules in play in which literacy is a factor. Social rituals of children are products of interaction and observation of the adult culture. They are a window into how schools and culture inform each other. (SLD)

Presents results from elementary school classroom uses of the Computer Supported Integrated Learning Environments (CSILE) software that stores student productions, including text and graphics, in one database to which all users have simultaneous access. Educational uses, effects, and outcomes of CSILE are described; and knowledge construction is…

Explores the meanings constructed around the concept of cooperation by a teacher and her fifth-grade students during cooperative learning. Their experiences indicate that cooperative learning has the potential to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, promising much but actually stifling the empowerment of students for proactive social action. (SLD)

Project CIRCLE, a project conducted by the University of Texas Learning Technology Center in collaboration with the Austin Independent School District and the Eanes Independent School District, explored the use of network-based tools to help change teacher practices toward more student-directed and constructivist approaches to learning. Through…

Compared project (n=79) and nonproject (n=111) third-grade students on their conceptual development in arithmetic, their personal goals in mathematics, and their beliefs about reasons for success in mathematics. Project students attained more advanced levels of conceptual understanding and held stronger beliefs about the importance of working…