There is considerable evidence that 'active learning' strategies are more efficacious than traditional 'passive learning' methods (e.g. lecture). Presented here is a small group active learning project developed for undergraduate social psychology students. The activity involves carrying out and reporting the results of a structured demonstration…

Discussion about and reflection upon observations which produce cognitive conflict have frequently been promoted as a strategy to enhance conceptual development in science classrooms. As part of the Practical Mechanics in Primary Mathematics project, teachers were urged to elicit children's views and attempt to establish what is now called…

This paper focuses on the evidence of learning in children engaged in small-group discussion with a teacher. The children are considered to have learned if they show progress in the explanations they make, the language they use in the dialogue, or the understanding they show of the dialogue. Motives of the participants in this dialogue are…