The segmented treatment was more effective than the control group treatment regarding three skills while the combined modeling treatment was only significantly better on the listening variable. (Author)

Certain thinking and language skills are common to content disciplines. Different types of thinking are triggered by factual, convergent, divergent, and judgmental questions. The four levels of oral and written response are factual, logical, creative, and judgmental. An effective school language policy balances and integrates these skills in the…

Describes activities used to help students study poems by Seamus Heaney. Includes a transcript of a group discussion of one of the poems; an essay and poems written by a student in response to Heaney's poems; and a commentary on desirable methods for teaching literature to students aged 16 through 19. (GT)

Data is reported from a survey of freshmen and seniors in an Illinois high school on their concepts of death, the affective states associated with it, the need for further discussion about the subject, and the identities of those with whom such discussions might be initiated. (Author/SJL)

Drawing, writing, acting, and discussion activities are presented, which the author has found successful in helping third-graders understand and face their own feelings and those of others. (SJL)

Lists suggestions for aiding teachers in answering student questions about sex, including hints for classroom discussions, questioning and answering techniques, and appropriate role for the teacher. Also lists resources (textbooks, filmstrips, pamphlets and reports) for answering questions about sex. (CS)

Outlines characterizations of discussions of "raced media representations," based on a review of 40 interviews with classroom media teachers, classroom visits, and a provincewide (Ontario) survey. Finds that teachers either become cautious and very politically correct; adopt a liberal multiculturalist position; or take up an actively…

Discusses the many different versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" and the extended classroom discussions they provoked, especially about what foodstuffs were in her basket. States that teachers should encourage their students to read in different ways at different times in their lives. Includes questions for stimulating student response.…

Presents an instructional approach (a flexible framework) for helping students and teachers read, talk about, and appreciate full-length trade books. Describes how transactional literature discussions provide opportunities for integrated reading, writing, and talk sessions that encourage students to respond openly to literature and become actively…

Describes how large-group brainstorming via e-mail at the University of Northern Iowa was used for strategic planning. Discusses factors affecting electronic brainstorming success and the advantages and disadvantages of electronic brainstorming. (AEF)

Focuses on a program providing foreign language instruction to students whose background derives from the country of that language's origin. The article notes that students in this program work on their own, coming together for small group conversation sessions. The article points out that these students often regard the study of their language as…

Describes using the jigsaw reading strategy (in an 11th-grade English classroom) with a literary classic: Henry David Thoreau's "Walden." (SR)

Examines first-year college students' conceptions of a good discussion and whether activities designed to encourage the conversation-like discussions found in adult book clubs affected these conceptions. The article presents stories of four students illustrating changes in their conceptions and analyzing them along three dimensions. (21…

Describes a simple and graphic demonstration of molecular motion that utilizes a hot plate, a beaker, tap water, India ink, and a Pasteur pipette with a rubber bulb. Provides tips on guiding students to an understanding of molecular motion using this demonstration. (DDR)

Traces the development of ideas explored during reading lessons in children's writings from one transitional bilingual fourth-grade classroom. Uses transcripts from audiotaped and videotaped lessons to study the way reading lessons turned into an anchoring activity for the negotiation of joint meaning. Traces developments in five student…