Due to growing demand from students and facilitated by innovations in educational technology, institutions of higher learning are increasingly offering online courses. Subjects in the hard sciences, such as pathophysiology, have traditionally been taught in the face-to-face format, but growing demand for preclinical science courses has compelled…

Online social work education has grown rapidly in recent years, and practice courses now are frequently taught online. The present study contributes to the growing body of knowledge regarding best practices in online social work education by examining the effects of small-group learning communities on student learning and on student satisfaction…

Through the reading, study, and performance of "Copenhagen", a play by Michael Frayn, chemistry students see the application of nuclear chemistry content, acquire a better understanding of the continuum from scientific research to technology design, and also become aware of the many and varied interrelationships of science with history…

The authors present an analysis of facilitation across three cohorts of a phase-two professional development project. Four types of discourse are introduced and defined (correcting, eliciting, probing, and responsive). The analysis attends to implementation fidelity and facilitator moves in light of these four types of discourse. Conjectures about…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) provide an increasingly common structure for teachers' professional development. The effectiveness of PLCs depends on the content and quality of the participants' discourse. This dissertation was conducted to add to an understanding of the science content needed to prepare to teach science, and the…

The case study reported here examined three scaffolding practices employed by two teachers in two Year 5 and 6 mathematics classrooms. One scaffolding practice was the use of discussion. This paper describes the use of whole class discussions as scaffolding, drawing upon observations of six mathematics lessons in each classroom and the responses…

THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER THE PHENOMENON OF SHIFTS TOWARD GREATER RISK TAKING FOLLOWING DISCUSSION OF RISK-RELATED MATERIALS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO GREATER GENERAL PERSUASIVENESS EXERTED BY RISK TAKERS THAN BY CONSERVATIVES. ITS PROCEDURE WAS TO DISCOVER WHETHER RISK TAKERS WOULD BE JUDGED MORE PERSUASIVE THAN CONSERVATIVES FOLLOWING…

IN THIS ADDRESS CYRIL O. HOULE SPOKE ON AN EPISODE IN THE HISTORY OF ADULT EDUCATION, FOCUSING PARTICULARLY ON THE LIFE AND IDEAS OF HENRY D. THOREAU. HE DISCUSSED JOSIAH HOLBROOK, A CONNECTICUT SCHOOLMASTER, AND CREATED AN AMERICAN LYCEUM, NATIONWIDE IN ITS SCOPE, LINKING TOGETHER ALL THOUGHTFUL AND CULTIVATED MEN IN THE CONTINUING PURSUIT OF…

In a university course in behavioral management, effects of an instructional procedure involving student proctor-led discussion groups were compared to effects of a teaching assistant-led quiz section. (Authors/JA)

Shows how the "nominal group technique" can be applied in the initial meetings of discussion groups in university courses to clarify group norms and climate and to exemplify productive discussion behaviors. (Author/RM)

Explains listservs (services to which subscribers may send communications for distribution to all other subscribers to the listserv) that are available through e-mail on the Internet; how they differ from newsgroups; how to host your own list; different types of lists, including open lists, controlled lists, and moderated lists; and how to…

Suggests several novels for educators' summer reading enjoyment, including classics by Robert Pirsig, Robertson Davies, John Steinbeck, Albert Camus, and Charles Dickens. Educators might also read Alex Kotlowitz's "There Are No Children Here" (Doubleday, 1991) and Sharon Quint's "Schooling Homeless Children" (Teachers College Press, 1994) to gain…