This article presents the first results of an investigation in a scholastic context aimed a determining the conditions that favour the acquisition of knowledge in biology within interactions in groups of 4 pupils. There were three work sessions in small groups, and some sessions in class groups. The pupils' conceptions were assessed at the…

The "Convince Me" computer environment supports critical thinking by allowing users to create and evaluate computer-based representations of arguments. This study investigates theoretical and design considerations pertinent to using "Convince Me" as an educational tool to support reasoning about public policy issues. Among…

A Computer Tutor for Writers (CTW) was designed to provide procedural facilitation to high school students while they learn the skills and knowledge associated with composition writing. Four previous year-long studies helped identify how to facilitate specific elements of the writing process. The CTW was designed to combine lessons learned from…

This compilation of the presentations delivered at the NSBA Council of School Attorneys' Annual School Law Seminar includes the following papers: (1) "The 'Dimensions' of Trial Advocacy" (Keith Evans); (2) "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Who Has It and Who Doesn't" (Jerry L. Wyckoff); (3) "Student-to-Student Sexual Harassment and…

Noting that college-level critical thinking instruction is now an interdisciplinary movement coordinating such fields as English, rhetoric, philosophy, and developmental psychology, this digest surveys the history of critical thinking studies in these converging disciplines and argues that literature study preeminently encompasses the mental…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 13 titles deal with the following topics: (1) collective bargaining in higher education; (2) decoding nonverbal communication and clinical effectiveness; (3) the need for interpersonal communication training for Texas peace…

In 1983-84, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) administered a 15-task writing assessment in grades 4, 8, and 11. The tasks involved informative, persuasive, and imaginative writing, and were evaluated at one of four levels of success: unsatisfactory; rudimentary or minimal performance; satisfactory; or detailed and controlled…

This practical volume is written for the non-communications major or graduate who needs skills in writing, speaking, or using visual media, but it will be valuable to anyone who would like to communicate more effectively. The following topics are covered: the audience and the message; communication within groups; communication and social action;…

The purpose of this quinmester course is to engage secondary students into acting out the role of legislators, requiring them to practice effective extemporaneous speaking, prepared public speaking, and congressional debating techniques. A full understanding of specific parliamentary procedures and methods used in the federal legislative branch is…

The second edition of "Really Writing!" provides 40 real-life writing activities designed to capture the attention of young authors (grades 2 through 6) who are just learning the composing process. This book is also a resource for teaching advanced writers who are ready to experiment with a variety of writing and speaking genres. Each of the…

"Write in the Middle: A Workshop for Middle School Teachers" is an eight-part professional development workshop designed to help teachers learn effective practices and strategies to use with middle school students in writing instruction. Through classroom footage of excellent teachers modeling successful strategies and interviews with teachers,…

This book is one in a series that present stories by practitioners in Catholic schools. The papers include: "The Write Traits: Trait-Based Writing Assessment and Instruction for the 21st Century" (Arlene Bertellotti-Weidner); "What's in a Name?" (James Bleecker); "What is a Christ-Centered Environment?" (Michael L.…

This text tries to explain what students need to learn to read and write in tertiary academic settings in Australia and to suggest some ways of teaching them. An introduction maps out what this text contains and summarizes the main features of the approach used to teach adults how to read and write academic discourse. The next section describes…

This study examined and compared the rhetorical structure of argumentative texts written by three groups of university students: 1) twenty Indonesian texts written by Indonesian native speakers (I.I.); 2) ten English texts written by Indonesian native speakers (I.E.); 3) ten English texts written by English native speakers (A.E.). Following the…

Four classroom activities for French second-language instruction are described: a unit on Lorraine, a region of France; a song and related exercises for young children; an exercise in interviewing classmates, based on an 1890 interview with Marcel Proust; and a literature-based unit on friendship. (MSE)