Discusses problem of how to address relationship between alcohol abuse and criminal offending. Suggests that Alcohol Education Courses (AECs) offer workable alternative to custodial sentencing. AECs offer various techniques that target abusive alcohol consumption level of the population, the problem of offending, or both. Asserts that evaluation…

Examines children's comprehension of stories and their verbal interactions during storybook readings in groups of various sizes. Finds that reading to children in small groups results in as much interaction as one-to-one readings and leads to greater comprehension than whole-class or even one-to-one readings. (KEH)

Describes a conversationally oriented, student-centered English class which recognizes the different learning styles among groups of students in the classroom. Notes that this teaching style opens a space for social engagement in intellectual work and conversation which enables reflective thought. (RS)

Presented are studies which confirm the idea that factors related to the format, the order of items presented, and the presentation style can affect the impact of information and student recall. Discussed are dynamic presentations, enumerated items, impact and timing, pairing of items, data summaries, and information load. (CW)

Describes an informal spelling assessment that teachers can use to understand students' level of orthographic knowledge at the beginning of the school year. Reports that the results of this informal testing allow teachers to group students for word study and directed literacy instruction. (MG)

The literacy training program of Imperial Educational Corporation is a small-group, individualized approach to basic skills instruction for employees lacking basic skills. Pilot studies how significant growth in academic and study skills and positive motivational changes in relation to learning and work. (SK)

A study used systematic classroom observation to describe pupil behavior and pupil-teacher and pupil-peer interaction in four classrooms in schools for children with moderate learning disabilities. Results are compared with a previous study of mainstream elementary classrooms. (MSE)

Describes a study of the effects of small group instruction on the academic performance of underprepared minority college students enrolled in orientation courses. Students were placed in groups of four to engage in task-process oriented activities, while control group students received traditional lecture-oriented instruction. Finds higher scores…

A study examined 48 fifth- and sixth-grade students' responses in cooperative small groups in mathematics. Findings indicated that students generally spent more time on-task, and especially more quality time on-task, in groups than in whole class settings, and students were more active participants in groups than in class settings. (TJQ)

Describes findings of the Spoken Language and New Technology (SLANT) research project which studied the talk of primary school children in the United Kingdom who were working in small groups at computers with various kinds of software. Improvements in the quality of talk and collaboration during computer-based activities are suggested. (Contains…

Describes a program of Library Research Clinics developed at Northern Illinois University to teach bibliographic instruction (BI) to one or two students at a time as an alternative to teaching BI in large first-year English classes. Implementation of the clinics with educationally disadvantaged students and with honor students is reviewed.…

Explores the use of a cyberspace technology, i.e., computer conferencing, to support collaborative learning in courses at two Canadian universities. Instructional design for online learning is examined, including course design, learning tasks, group size, and course requirements; problems are identified; and improvements are suggested, including…

Describes a study at a Michigan high school that investigated elements that contributed to a meaningful library research task. Highlights include information literacy; students' feelings of satisfaction and achievement; student questionnaires and student and teacher interviews; group work; and process instruction. (LRW)

Discusses a questionnaire designed to measure parents' perceptions of their child's developmental and academic histories, classroom learning characteristics, and previous foreign language learning. Results suggest parents' perceptions may provide helpful screening information to foreign language teachers. (51 references) (Author/CK)

This study examined effects of training five parents to use Milieu Teaching procedures with their preschool-aged children with disabilities. Although modest levels of performance of the language teaching procedures were found for the group instruction condition, intensive feedback and coaching in the home were required to reach criterion level…