Recommends that mathematics instruction should promote student discourse by orchestrating situations in which each individual's thinking is challenged and asking students to clarify and justify ideas. Provides a vignette of a heterogeneously grouped seventh-grade mathematics class to illustrate the process of mathematical discourse. (ASK)

Describes how the author used class letter writing to fulfill both academic functions and affective functions. Discusses the remarkably different results produced using two different methods (a class newsletter and an electronic forum), noting that circumstances of the class and the purpose of the instructor help determine which method is more…

Reflects on how the author's third-grade students, experienced in literary conversation from their reading workshop, transferred the practice of literary conversation to their writing workshop. (SR)

Describes and evaluates a technique used in two science lecture courses (biochemistry and introductory meteorology), in which lectures were interspersed with frequent, brief discussions within spontaneously formed small groups. Some differences were found in the ways the two professors managed the technique, but both felt in-class participation…

Examines the presence of two factors, cooperative learning training and problem-solving computer-based instruction (CBI), in 23 studies which compared cooperative CBI (C-CBI) and individual CBI (I-CBI). Results provide more evidence that cooperative learning and problem-solving CBIs are important factors in increasing achievement, group…

Reports on a study in which 31 undergraduate students practiced academic argumentation by e-mail. In the two "tutored" e-mail study groups, discussion topics were selected by the tutor, while in the two self-directed "student-led" groups, selection was by the students. Results support the superiority of the student-led mode over the tutor-led mode…

Compares the effectiveness of two types of art museum tours, the lecture and the inquiry/discussion tour, in promoting learning by college-aged students. Finds that both were equally effective in helping subjects acquire information, but neither encouraged retention; both types were equally enjoyable. Highlights the inconclusiveness of the…

Looks at the discussion of a small group of girls (ordinarily reticent or diffident in class) in a senior English class as they interpreted the character of Ophelia in Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Discusses the idea that thinking can develop through dialogic (collaborative) rather than dialectic (conflictive) transactions. Notes classroom…

Argues that networked classrooms offer a number of opportunities for effective writing instruction. Argues that shared discourse in the networked-computer classroom has three levels forming a continuum of interactivity: students sending messages "at,""to," and "between" each other. Offers classroom examples of each level of discourse. (SR)

Reports on the effects of constructivist versus traditional teaching approaches on university students' learning about osmosis and diffusion. Students understood diffusion and osmosis more deeply in the constructivist-informed classroom, which used small discussion groups rather than traditional large lecture groups. Suggests ways to improve…

Defines aesthetics when framed as critical inquiry as the process of teaching students to use critical strategies of professional philosophers to develop aesthetic content. Addresses four major aesthetic issues: meaning and value in art, how to discuss art, aesthetic experience, and beauty. Presents a sequence of critical-inquiry activities. (CMK)

To transform gendered organizational theories and practices in education, conversational meeting spaces must be created. Board rooms, classrooms, graduate educational administration courses, preservice education policy courses, staff lunch rooms, and professional seminars and journals are all sites for reinscribing or resisting gendered norms.…

Describes distance education in an elementary science methods course using newsgroups and electronic mail discussion groups via computer. Compares the newsgroup to the discussion group and points out the importance of interaction in cooperative learning. (YDS)

Presents a lesson plan in which students become familiar with the history of military, political, and diplomatic efforts to separate countries and the ramifications of isolating regions and their populations by studying the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Explains that the DMZ was established by the July 27th 1953 armistice. (CMK)

Describes activities that enable students to study the history of the Korean War and its impact by researching local history and the popular culture of the time. Explains that students learn how to collect and analyze historical sources that offer different viewpoints. Provides discussion topics and Internet resources. (CMK)