This manual describes four discussion techniques that may be used in an adult education setting following a presentation by one or more resource persons. These four techniques--the huddle group, the buzz group, the chain reaction forum, and the reaction symposium--are designed to help the learner acquire information, develop skills in problem…

The Nominal Group Technique (NGT), developed by Andre Delbecq and Andrew Van de Ven at the University of Wisconsin in the 1960s, is used to enhance the generation, exploration, and communication of ideas relevant to problem-solving situations. The NGT is unlike other typical interacting group techniques in that individuals work in the presence of…

Literature study discussions have been included in many instructional frameworks for the past twenty years. As classroom teachers struggled to get quality discussions going, researchers and educators offered a variety of pedagogical approaches, theoretical considerations, and instructional resources to support their efforts. While the use of…

"Planning Educational Change: Vol. III, Integrating the Desegregated School," by Chesler, Jorgensen, and Erenberg is reviewed in this issue of the "NCRIEEO Newsletter." The book in question tries to provide teachers and administrators with methods for improving race relations in desegregated schools. Some of the techniques suggested include role…

When the Tacoma School District in Washington State moved to end de facto segregation in April, 1968, an inservice training program for teachers was instituted. The objectives of the program were: (1) to develop educators' awareness of prejudices and sensitivity to racial minorities; and, (2) to develop procedures for creating this new awareness…

Students who work in small discussion groups will not significantly surpass those who study under teacher direction in terms of mean learning achievement, cognitive operations such as comprehension and application, or acquired learning. This conclusion resulted from a study of learning in two classroom situations, one utilizing teacher-directed…

College student personnel may extend their services to academic faculty by training undergraduates to lead discussion groups. Training workshops for two different discussion methods are discussed. Research findings suggest that the most effective of the two methods is the one best suited to the individual leader. (Author)

This videotape, with accompanying discussion guide, addresses issues of young children's learning readiness and the readiness of the school to teach young children. The 50-minute videotape, for use as a stand-alone instruction video in one sitting or as an accompaniment to group discussions or to a self-study program, is geared toward informal…

Psychoeducation is often used for family members of adult patients with mood disorders. An increase in family's knowledge of the patient's illness course and outcome is thought to improve treatment compliance and may reduce relapse rates through identification of early symptoms and risks. While studies on family-based psychoeducation of adult…

Systems Architects and Information Technology administrators working in higher education help faculty, staff, and student computer users. Yet, who helps them? What resources do these professionals value? A case study was conducted using purposeful sampling and data collection through electronic interview to gather the preferred information-seeking…

Many middle school students claim that their voices are ignored in the classroom, where the attitude is too often that the teacher holds the one right answer. Instead of this approach, teachers may wish to use the Socratic Seminar, which prompts students to examine issues and ideas through dialogue and actively involves and motivates them, giving…

This study explored how asynchronous discussion supported by a Web-based learning system facilitated collaborative learning. The participants in this study consisted of the instructor, facilitators, and the students in a master's level course at a university in the south. Different sources of evidence were used in the study (individual/group…

Discussion boards have the unique capacity to support higher-order constructivist learning and the development of a learning community, This chapter provides ten conditions that support the effective use of an online discussion.

The benefits of active learning are well documented; nonetheless, the implementation of active learning strategies can be challenging in large lecture environments. The project will examine the research supporting active learning, present the implementation of simple active learning techniques in large lecture classes, and provide evidence to test…

This study investigated the effect of well- vs. ill-structured problem types on: (a) group interactional activity, (b) evolution of group participation inequities, (c) group discussion quality, and (d) group performance in a synchronous, computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. Participants were 60 11th-grade science students…