Examines the effects of a focus group discussion on elderly worriers (N=21; at least 70 years old and self-designated as worriers). Results indicate that the percentage of the day that participants spent worrying was significantly reduced after the focus group. Subjects rated the experience as positive and beneficial. (RJM)

Describes how one teacher adapted the Toulmin argumentation model to improve discussion in introductory literature classes. Describes the method and its application to literary texts. Shows how it enables students with no particular attraction to literature to invent and respond to arguments about a text, ground those arguments in the text, and…

Discusses how using quotations in mathematics class can alleviate narrow, educationally detrimental misconceptions of the nature of mathematics by illustrating its richer aspects. Lists some quotations on different aspects of mathematics and provides information for finding quotations. Contains 26 references. (ASK)

Discusses gendered communication in computer-mediated conferences within college education classes, maintaining that attempts to create democratic classrooms are undermined by conventional gender-marked dynamics of interpersonal dialogue, but those dynamics show potential for being transformed in positive ways when the dialogue moves to virtual…

Good inservices result from effective communication among administrators, educators, and presenters. Common problems (beyond speakers' control) include ill-defined topics, unexpected audience members, audience size and deportment, unavailable equipment, overly ambitious goals, and lack of continuity. Effective inservices often use conference-style…

This guide to the Internet for educators and parents of gifted children covers e-mail, talk, listservs, news groups, bulletin boards, Telnet, Gopher, World Wide Web, Mosaic, Netscape, file transfer protocol, and WAIS (Wide Area Information Service). Examples of sites for educators are included throughout the article. (DB)

This article describes use of the George Berkeley's philosophical writings to examine the question of whether a tree falling in the forest, with no one around, makes a sound. Examples from his readings are used to stimulate discussion of gifted students about questions of epistemology and metaphysics. Suggestions for curricular integration of this…

Problematizes the word "experience" as it is currently being used by researchers and teachers who want to reform literature instruction in schools and colleges. Discusses how a fresh look at Dewey and Rosenblatt can reconstruct the courtroom and marketplace metaphors as sound alternatives to theories that perpetuate dualistic assumptions…

Attempts to represent the complexity of the web of literary relationships and their transformational space using fragmentary texts that circle around the novel "The English Patient": self as relationship and the dialogic engagement with a book by the patient himself; and the relationship and engagement with this book and with each other of a group…

Discusses the use of computer mediated communication in distance education to help foster a sense of community among students, encourage group interaction, and keep students and instructors connected. Explains synchronous communication, including chat sessions; and asynchronous communication, including email, listservs, and threaded discussion.…

Describes a Teaching Discussion Group in the University of Northern Iowa's Mathematics Department; the group is designed to facilitate discussion among faculty about teaching techniques. Discusses the group's rationale, formation, structure, benefits, challenges, and lessons for other such programs. (EV)

Discusses the importance of parental involvement in middle-level schools. Describes how an online threaded discussion format can create a virtual community, promoting positive parental involvement. Offers guidelines to consider when using this form of technology. (SR)

Two children with severe disabilities who used electronic communication aids were taught to extend conversations as a result of implementation of an intervention strategy based on high-probability request sequences. Both learners' conversational maintenance skills improved as a result of the procedure. Educational implications are discussed.…

Describes how, when asked to devote the day following the September 11 tragedy to class discussions, University of Michigan instructors benefited from the skills and classroom strategies honed by colleagues whose classes regularly deal with complex human realities. (EV)

Explores ways in which adults discuss literature in two different settings--a graduate English seminar and a graduate English education book club course. Examines the role of speaker turns, tentative and presentational language, overlapping talk and questioning in those literature discussions. Explores the different theoretical and pedagogical…