Describes a system that automatically classifies e-mail messages in the HUMANIST electronic discussion group into one of four classes: question, response, announcement, or administrative. The system's ability to accurately classify a message was compared against manually assigned codes. Results suggested that there was a statistical agreement in…

Describes Multiple-User Dungeons (MUDs), multiple-user computer programs that allow participants to interact with others in "real time" exchanges. Discusses their potential in the writing classroom and beyond, and notes their potential for faculty development activities. Offers a list of Internet resources, some actual MUD addresses, and other…

Discusses using the Internet to bring together students from classrooms at opposite ends of the country, and with diverse ethnic makeup, to join in a discussion and examination of their responses to a text by an African-American author. Examines the successes and failures of this project. Discusses the technical and institutional support that made…

The Internet provides more than access to library catalogs, weather reports, and games. This article describes two categories of scholarly Internet resources: peer-reviewed electronic journals and academic discussion lists (also known as electronic conferences or newsgroups), explains how to access and subscribe, and discusses the advantages and…

Addresses the questions: How does the interaction--primarily as talk--that occurs among children who read together extend their understanding of language and learning to read? Are there productive gains in their emerging literacy skills because of the talk that occurs as children pore over books together? Concludes that children's interactions…

Reports on a developmental approach to education that promotes student understanding of racial identity. Examines the developmental complexity of dialogues about race and the importance of developing a new kind of dialogue in which a collaborative, rather than an adversarial, environment is created, and where students can express themselves…

Sets out the positions of Liberal and Communitarian philosophers on the fundamental requirements for a democratic civil society. Argues that a cultural, pluralist, democratic society will be characterized by a diversity of controversial moral positions at a range of levels. Offers discussion as a method of reconciling controversial moral…

Focuses on the case write-up insofar as it extends the concept of genre systems. Looks at the place of the case write-up in a privileged, institutionalized genre system, that of the Harvard case method, and then considers the values that the genre system fosters in its primary practitioners, management students. (SG)

Examines criticisms of school-effectiveness research (SER) in two papers by Martin Thrupp and by Roger Slee and Gaby Weiner in this special issue. Despite critics' focus on SER's overclaiming, undertheorizing, and political ineptitude, the main issue seems to be researchers' dismissive attitudes and their suppression of scholarly debate. (Contains…

A discourse-based, contextual intervention approach for increasing children's word finding proficiency was evaluated. Subjects were three 9-year-olds with language-learning disabilities. Intervention involved picture-elicited narratives, story-retelling, and conversation on family topics. All three subjects exhibited a decrease in the average…

Reports results of surveys of graduate students involved in online class discussions that show a preference for face-to-face experiences in spite of positive reactions to online discussions. Online discussions were perceived as valuable additions to in-class discussions, rather than as an acceptable substitution for them. (Author/LRW)

Describes a classroom activity, listing step-by-step directions, that demonstrates the unreliability of essay scoring. Explains that after the exercise the class discussion should address the problematic factors in scoring essays. Lists recommendations for improving reliability and validity of essay scoring. (CMK)

Discusses various issues concerning reading literature in the elementary classroom, under the following section heads: "Adding to Your Alphabet,""Working with the Transitional Reader,""Reading Aloud to the Very Young,""Leading to Lively Conversation," and "Enriching the Teaching of Science." (TB)

Discusses uninhibited behavior in computer-mediated communication (CMC), or flaming, and describes a study that examined the social context in which flaming occurs by analyzing messages posted during one week to four Usenet social newsgroups that represented different national and cultural groups. Results confirm that social context is the primary…

Introductory exploration of two usenet newsgroups focused on political discussions. The goal is to answer questions regarding issues such as who is participating in these online discussions and whether the online groups resemble more traditional discussion networks. (Author)