"How many are the numbers?", "How many numbers are there between 1 and 2?" These tasks were set in three fifth grade classes in an educational environment characterised by an alternation of classroom discussions orchestrated by the teacher and students' production of individual reports. They allowed us to analyse both the short term evolution of…

In the framework of a long term teaching experiment we present an Educational approach based on the use of a dynamic geometry software and a symbolic manipulator. Here we present the general ideas of the followed approach focusing on how meanings can originate from phenomenological experience and evolve under the guidance of the teacher. In…

On September 22-23, 2005, Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) and the C.S. Mott Foundation convened the After School Evaluation Symposium, with over 100 researchers, evaluators, policymakers, and practitioners, in Washington, DC. The goal of the interactive 2-day meeting was to bring together the perspectives of diverse stakeholders to inspire…

This paper shows examples of thought-provoking picture and chapter books that can be used as springboards for discussing, analyzing, and solving authentic problems by pre-school through middle-level children in diverse settings. The paper begins with a description of a conference presentation which introduced participants to the notion of using…

This paper describes the use of technology in a first year college writing class. The class utilizes a multi-user object-oriented domain (MOO) which allows participants to talk, perform actions, thoughts, and emotions, manipulate objects and furniture, and altogether control the online environment. The class holds discussions on the computer in…

A female trip leader in the University of Florida's Travel and Recreation Program observed that women and men approached outdoor experiences differently, and suggested a women-only program. From this came the Women in the Wilderness program, a women-only outdoor education program designed to empower women through participation in adventure…

This study examines student-teachers' attitudes concerning participation in classroom discussion, investigating their tendencies to initiate classroom discussions and how they would motivate their own students in the future to participate in classroom discussions. The participants, Turkish student-teachers, completed questionnaires that…

This booklet examines principles for effective tutoring. An introduction defines tutoring. Ten sections present research findings and practical applications. Section 1, "Real-Life Goals," includes making consistent, regular time; targeting real- life goals; and exploring understanding. Section 2, "Question and Prompt,"…

Drawing on the literature and a survey of first-grade teachers, this paper provides a summary of the ways children grieve, children's ideas on death, ways to help children contend with the difficulties surrounding death, and teachers' feelings about discussing death in the classroom. Twelve teachers completed a questionnaire about how to…

This staff development kit is the second in a series designed that provides school-based staff development activities. The first kit contains materials, activities, and suggestions to help faculty with early efforts to implement the middle school concept. This kit provides various tools and techniques to improve the quality of teachers'…

Literature Circles encourage critical thinking, inspire rich discussion-based activities, and promote effective communication. This book provides the tools and techniques teachers need to set up literature circles in their classrooms. The book's authors, two inner city elementary teachers, show how to teach and use roles effectively and maintain…

This paper addresses the question of how to qualify a knowledge building dialogue in Web-based collaborative learning. It investigates the idea of qualifying the dialogue through grading requirements and through providing students with meta-awareness around their dialogue. The paper investigates and analyzes the changes in quality of student…

Carrying out argumentative discussion online has become rather common in higher education. This task is traditionally supported by asynchronous collaboration tools, but this paper suggests that also synchronous supports could be useful. This paper focuses on scaffolding the knowledge construction: the work of two student moderators jointly…

This study examined the relationship between the quality of intra-group online collaboration among groups of undergraduate learners on the quality of products produced. The quality of online collaboration was assessed by the instructor and Teaching Assistant with the computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) process assessment tool. The…

This paper describes the experiences of three university instructors facilitating computer-mediated communication among three teacher training courses at Indiana University, Bloomington and Northwest campuses, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The project utilized AltaVista Forum (now SiteScape Forum), a World Wide…