Advocates encouraging and incorporating student/teacher questioning interactions into social studies classrooms. Maintains that guided discussions and questioning techniques facilitate classroom management and appeal to a variety of learning styles. Includes extended examples of classroom discussions and questioning activities. (MJP)

Describes changes in the perspectives and practices of two teacher educators as a result of a series of action research projects conducted over a six-year period in an elementary education course. The studies focused on reflection, student learning, reading and writing instruction, and course impact. (SM)

Discusses use of teacher talk about innovation as an alternative to journal entries in eliciting reflective behavior. Describes a study that investigated whether teachers assembled to discuss portfolio assessment would spontaneously engage in four levels of action (describing, informing, confronting, and reconstructing). Analysis of transcripts…

Basic principles of developing and implementing an affective curriculum which promotes students' self-esteem and personal skills are offered. The article addresses: establishment of rules of affective group discussions, guidelines to help teachers and students maintain flexible and realistic expectations, the importance of teacher planning, and…

This article describes an interdisciplinary classroom project in which ninth graders simulate a "World Council on Genetic Technology." Students in small groups take on the persona and interests of individuals from specific countries in the group effort to develop a covenant for regulating the use of biotechnology. The benefits of having gifted…

Introduces a case written by two physical education teacher education instructors. Shows how case method directly impacts the teaching/learning process, explains how to facilitate discussions surrounding the case, offers sample student responses and instructor facilitation, and describes use of case teaching to promote reflection. (SM)

Determined best practices for enhancing preservice teachers' knowledge of gender equity and use of innovative instructional methods for developing classroom democratic social values. Found that development in understanding and application of appropriate, equitable classroom practices emerged over a semester in which preservice teachers were…

Describes the use of a local area network and video switching equipment in teaching revision skills on computer. Explains that reading stories from texts, rewriting them from differing character viewpoints, and editing them as a group exposed students to a variety of writing problems and stimulated various revision strategies. (SG)

Analyzes transcripts of four reading lessons based on the Kamehameha Reading Program (emphasizing discussion and oral language within group reading lessons) given to three low-ability second grade readers. Identifies six components important to reading success, including contextual-based lessons, minimal skills instruction, and active quests for…

Presents a two-part article about the use of the Paideia Seminar approach in college and high school classrooms. Outlines the preparation and implementation of discussion seminars. Details student attitudes about the approach. Includes three tables with guidelines, rules, and communication suggestions for seminar leaders. (CFR)

This essay on a paper (EC 602 982) about a master teacher's cognitive processes involved in leading group discussions focuses on the place for qualitative inquiry on teaching in special education, the usefulness of professional practical knowledge and cognitive maps as heuristics for further research, and the relationship between researcher and…

Describes a classroom exercise for increasing gender equality and awareness in class discussions by increasing female students' participation. Explains that only female students may speak during one week of the course. Argues that radical and feminist education must promote the equal empowerment of male and female students to talk and listen. (DK)

A four-step approach to teaching complex concepts at the college level involves a sequence of lecture, an individual assignment, small group discussion, and larger group discussion instruction. The last three steps focus on case study applications. The method is adaptable to different teaching situations and promotes expansion of student…

Based on analysis of discussions of fiction using Dedalus Interchange in literary analysis classes, it was found that synchronous electronic conferencing exposed students to more viewpoints, deemphasized traditional authority, increased metalinguistic awareness, decreased inhibition and gender barriers, and facilitated increased social…

Contrasts two models of instruction: building on ideas in shared endeavors; and transmit-and-test formats. Discusses how these contrasting formats may relate to interactional patterns observed in toddlers and caregivers in a Mayan and a middle-class European-American community; and elementary school children in Japan and the United States. (SR)