The devising of sets of multiple-choice questions on a poem or prose passage can be a useful exercise for teachers and students, because it obliges them to confront the question of what a reader must deal with in a text in order to arrive at an understanding of it. (MLW)

The Nuclear Disarmament Project involving Catholic churches and schools in San Francisco used Freirean codifications, with photographs as codes, to develop discussions on the moral issues of nuclear arms. Group discussions led to concrete action in the cause of peace and social justice. (SK)

Assigned parents of 114 conduct-problem young children to either individually administered videotape modeling treatment, group discussion videotape modeling treatment, group discussion treatment, or waiting-list control. Compared with controls, all three treatment groups of mothers reported significantly fewer child behavior problems, more…

Examines the reading practices and socially influenced responses of six eighth graders in a literature discussion group. Recounts the responses of the students' interpretive community. (MS)

Describes a study of undergraduates that investigated the effects of communication mode (i.e., face-to-face versus remote), information load, and distribution of information on biased discussion in groups. Topics discussed include computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS); biased discussion and information characteristics; and biased…

Describes the exciting things that can happen when middle school students are allowed to chart the course their education will take. (SR)

Features Internet sites that are sources for lesson plans, materials, group discussion topics, activities, test questions, computer software, and videos for K-12 education. Resources highlighted include CNN Newsroom, KidLink, and AskERIC. (AEF)

Elementary, middle, and high school teachers from several school districts in California and Georgia share their experiences with designing and using study groups. Teachers report that the study groups identified educational and school needs, promoted teacher empowerment, increased collegiality, and kept teachers up on current issues and research…

This essay describes the use of I Ching hexagrams as a focus to improve the ability of college student groups to evolve creative solutions and improve decision-making skills. The philosophy of I Ching is briefly explained, and examples are given of hexagram interpretations which are applicable to group discussion and problem solving. (DB)

Cooperative learning can help teach children to write because (1) it raises consciousness and encourages decision making; (2) its accepting social environment helps students seek worthwhile experiences; and (3) mutual concern and discussion of differing viewpoints rely on dialogue to enhance personal and intellectual growth. (SM)

Describes a community-college curriculum that incorporates Socratic Dialogue Inducing (SDI) laboratories into a new calculus-based preengineering physics sequence. SDI allows for group discussion labs that emphasize the concepts being taught in the lectures. (ZWH)

Offers a narrative based on a real event, in the form of a "docustory," describing that moment when teaching worked--when, in an instructional setting, communication was "perfect,""best," or "excellent." Describes a lively discussion of "The Joy Luck Club" in a tenth-grade literature class, fostering awareness of cultural diversity and…

A three-phase reading strategy for students with learning disabilities is presented, involving students ask questions about a story, discussing criteria for types of questions (fact, inference, opinion), and label the questions; the teacher models the role of discussion leader; and the leadership role is turned over to the students. (JDD)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of video instruction in teaching the meanings and uses of idioms to 20 deaf adolescents. Students improved their knowledge and use of idioms more when exposed to the video/discussion approach than to the lecture/discussion approach. (DB)

Concern circles provide a comfortable approach to classroom counseling. A first grade teacher describes how she provided a support network to deal with students' emotional concerns. The 15-minute sessions, held each morning, allowed the children to take a more active role in resolving their own conflicts. (SM)