In this article, we discuss how our analysis of several popular culture artifacts featuring "super" women characters (superheroes and supernatural) provided the foundation for a media discussion group for female college students with learning exceptionalities. We explore the use of popular culture in discussion groups as well as discuss…

In this article, we tackle the disadvantaging conditions of zero tolerance policies in school settings and advocate using an alternative approach--critical restorative justice through peacemaking circles--to nurture resilience and open opportunity at the school level. In the process, this article builds on theory and qualitative research and…

The dynamics of the student-student relationship within the asynchronous online classroom, as evidenced by conversations in an online discussion board, is a balancing act potentially more complex than those occurring in real-time. In order for learning to truly be considered effective, a collaborative, safe environment needs to exist among…

This mixed method case study provides insights about how the professional development of middle school teachers is facilitated through their participation in content-focused online communities of practice. A key finding from this research reveals that the online community provided teachers with enhanced opportunities to share ideas, to discuss…

This guide provides a framework for study circles to use in discussing how to strengthen the economy for the long run. The guide takes into account the current recession, but goes beyond it to focus on basic economic trends. Part 1 lays out four general views of the primary cause of problems in the U.S. economy: (1) the decline of the work ethic;…

The benefits of a study group to help faculty develop their competencies and expand their awareness of professional issues are described. Specifically, the Fargo Study Group, which included seven physicians interested in improving their instructional capabilities, is considered. The participants were responsible for teaching medical students in…

Forty fourth-grade students participated in a study of the effects of intact-group versus small-group discussion on type and level of verbalization and on reading attitudes. The experimental group, divided in subgroups of five pupils each, discussed seven stories; the control group discussed the same stories as an intact class with teacher…

Describes an investigation into the social dynamics of a technology-mediated preservice teacher environment (an Internet discussion group) and the extent to which community-building occurred. Discourse analysis examined how the technology-mediated discourse community reflected five main categories characterizing the ethos of classroom communities.…

Describes the use of interactive group journals in a graduate preservice Teaching English-as-a-Second-Language course. Students passed a computer disk around, each writing about issues and concerns and responding to the others. This collaboration acted as a catalyst for papers and projects and a forum for the creation and testing of original ideas…

Force field analysis encourages members to examine the probability of reaching agreed-upon goals. It can help groups avoid working toward goals that are unlikely to be reached. In every situation are three forces: forces that encourage maintenance of the status quo or change; driving or helping forces that push toward change; and restraining…

There has been much discussion recently of the effect that gender and learning style have on student performance. Educators have attempted to develop new teaching and assessment strategies that accommodate a variety of learning styles, and both males and females are becoming more aware of gender-related traits and their relationship to classroom…

James Berlin has idenitified three common ideological approaches in rhetoric in composition courses crucial to an understanding of how collaborative learning works in writing courses: the expressivist, cognitivist, and social-epistemic. One of the primary distinctions among these rhetorics is how the subject is perceived. In an expressionist or…

The manual offers a process and suggestions to help support groups working to make disabled individuals less dependent on professional recreationists and segregated programs. The manual is divided into 10 steps and can be completed in a 1-day meeting or over a period of weekly meetings. Step 1 focuses on leisure, what it is and how it happens.…

Authors considered a teacher training course which brings students into closer contact with the classroom. (Editor/RK)