This series of discussion sessions and suggestions for further reading, was designed to serve as a guide for discussion groups made up of parents of preschool children. The first chapter discusses the organization of groups, leaders' qualifications, the general format of sessions, recordkeeping, and suggestions for the first and final sessions.…

Formal and informal educational options available to older persons are briefly described, with attention to classroom courses, correspondence/home study courses, credit by examination, summer/weekend learning vacations, external degree programs, discussion groups, and self-study. Classes may be offered at public and private schools, community…

Focusing on a professional continuing education program in group discussion leadership skills for Louisiana public health workers, this study assessed the overall value of training to participants, and sought relationships between certain background characteristics and the value ascribed to the training experience. The Kropp-Verner Evaluation…

This study in upstate New York investigated certain characteristics of 602 public affairs education discussion groups; relative group stability in terms of change in size over time; whether characteristics affect group survival; and how group structure is related to certain attitudes on individualism and community growth. Data were gathered by…

Two projects of individualized instruction are reported in this document. These projects were carried out in small high schools in Colorado and are reported by the instructors involved. Included in the reports are the rationale, objectives, description of student groups, extensive procedural description, and results and recommendations. The…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a five-week program in affective education with emphasis on facilitating the integration of a large proportion of new students into a school. Specifically, the program was designed to: (1) reduce intergroup prejudice by modifying in a positive direction attitudes toward self and…

A workshop held December 7, 8, and 9, 1970, was the second phase of a three-part program which aims to organize and develop Adult Basic Education (ABE) teacher preparation programs in institutions of higher education. The goals of the workshop were to: (1) inform participants about the need for professional preparation in teaching Adult Basic…

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) collaborated on a child and adolescent development project involving roundtables of knowledgeable researchers and teacher educators. This summary report discusses major issues faced by teachers and schools,…

This digest explores uses of the Internet for early childhood educators. The first section discusses six popular features of the Internet: (1) electronic mail, which provides educators with a worldwide group of peers with whom to share information; (2) Internet discussion groups, which provide users with the opportunity to be part of electronic…

Research into indicators of learning occurring in e-mail discussion groups investigated how to maximize factors that enhance learning and networking using e-mail and how to minimize factors that inhibit learning using this medium. Data from a range of e-mail discussion groups formed the basis of the research, with focus on e-mail discussion that…

Suggests ways in which the Internet can supplement traditional methods of professional development for librarians. Examples include electronic journals, discussion groups, electronic courses, electronic conferences, e-mail, networking, and coauthoring via the Internet. Services listed include Internet directories, education gophers, bibliographic…

Compared patterns of group interaction for (n=28) fifth- and sixth-grade students during small group discussions designed to reduce misconceptions related to division. Highly interactive patterns of discourse were found to be associated with effective learning. (Contains 25 references.) (MKR/Author)

This paper describes the forms of knowledge used by players of fantasy sports, games where players create ideal sports teams and compete to accumulate points based on professional athletes' statistical performances. Messages from a discussion forum associated with a popular fantasy basketball game were analyzed to understand how players described…

This article describes how online discussion groups and visual collaboration can be used in combination to build and support a virtual community of learners. Data derived from several online discussion groups are presented, and the support needs of learners are highlighted as a key factor of success. (Contains 1 figure.)

Support is needed to promote problem-based learning (PBL) and to enhance critical thinking skills in discussion-based Internet forums. By advancing the capabilities of chat room and forum software, problem-based discussions for learning can be supported further in online learning environments. In this paper, the authors report on MALESAbrain, an…