Electronic media provide new opportunities for engaging college students in and out of the classroom. Electronic mail, teleconferencing, and Internet resources can increase instructor availability and extend class discussion. Issues to consider in planning for their use include achievement of course objectives, level of computer sophistication,…

Describes a pharmaceutical mathematics and statistics course at the State University of New York at Buffalo that integrates traditional classroom instruction and Internet-based resources, including World Wide Web pages and individual and group electronic mail. The approach has enhanced communication and discussion among students and instructor,…

A study involving 28 fourth-graders in a reform mathematics classroom, 3 with learning disabilities, investigated changes in teacher and student discourse over nine-weeks. Clear patterns of change in teacher and student discourse occurred. Nonetheless, intentional efforts to include target students in whole-class discussions yielded instructional…

Analyzes one third grader's participation in mathematics class discussions, his beliefs about class discussion, and his arithmetical development throughout a school year in a problem-centered learning classroom. Concludes that a fruitful classroom discussion both necessitates and, conversely, is facilitated by the negotiation of social norms and…

The instructor of a university organic chemistry course describes how he has incorporated ideas about student motivation and self-regulated learning into his instruction. Specific strategies for active and Socratic learning and instruction are outlined, from modeling and classroom interaction to use of instructional materials, testing, and…

Techniques developed to improve student participation and student evaluation in a large-group college course in advertising include role playing in talk-show-style discussions of controversial issues, breaks in lectures to play a trivia game, a three-minute writing assignment, teacher movement among students, and changes in testing policies and…

A 3-year study in 8 middle schools tested a program to improve adolescent conduct. The program attempted to improve clarity and enforcement of rules, classroom organization, school-home communication, and increase reinforcement of positive behavior. Where it was well-implemented, student conduct improved significantly. (SLD)

Explores relationships between various types of research and the implications for teacher/student dialogue. Discusses H. F. Gadamar's view of tradition as text. Suggests Active Tutorial Work strategies may not be engaging student/teacher dialogue. States teachers must take a more active role in initiating dialogue. (NL)

Posits the need to totally revamp social studies education, implicitly criticizing recent curriculum reform reports. Identifies five ways in which students define themselves that radically differ from teachers' and past students' points of view. Outlines resulting classroom communication problems. Questions how best to make social studies relevant…

Techniques for college teachers to use in managing student resistance to critical thinking include proactive strategies (creating a cooperative environment, establishing rapport, creating high expectations, and countering resistive behavior) and reactive strategies (avoiding personalization of resistance, inviting students to explore resistance,…

A Central Michigan University course in African-American literature, attended mostly by whites, is joined by black students and their professor at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, for lectures and discussions by teleconference. Technology is the tool used for increasing diversity in the teaching/learning experience. But, team teaching…

The development of communication skills is a key component in any science program. However, students do not see the connections between writing and science. In particular, students lack the enthusiasm when the time comes to write lab reports. Students say that they do not see why they should have to write dry, boring lab reports following an…

This study investigates whether the generation of exploratory talk in grade seven, second-language science classrooms in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, has a positive effect on learners in terms of their problem-solving and reasoning skills and whether socio-cultural "milieus" (urban, peri-urban and rural settings of schools)…

This report explores ways in which instructional conversations between a teacher and her students contributed to building an academic community in a transitional bilingual fourth-grade classroom. Through an analysis of reading lesson transcripts, classroom events, and student essays and journal assignments, the report shows how classroom…

This study examined differences between kindergarten and first-grade children identified as at risk (AR) or not at risk (NAR) for the development of severe emotional disturbance on selected factors of classroom dynamics. Screening, using the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders measure, of all 628 kindergarten and first-grade children at…