Presents a case study of one classroom teacher's attempt to develop critical discourse in students, focusing particularly on the ability of language-minority students to participate in critical discussions. Suggests that allowing students to explore topics of personal relevance--as may occur in a critical literacy curriculum--is one way of…

Describes a study that used a Web-based survey and a modified Delphi technique to identify criteria important to multimedia instructional courseware evaluation, validate them with a panel of instructional technology experts, and examine the effect of conducting panel discussions online. Shows information accuracy and reliability as the most…

Explores the ideas and reasoning students use to make a collaborative environmental management decision. Compares students' discussions with scientists' guidelines for making environmental management decisions. Finds that whereas across groups students touched on all of the themes that scientists consider to be important for making environmental…

Examines gender features in eighth-grade students' writing in terms of the relationships among characters and the use of violence, comparing the analyses to perspectives offered by the students in small group conversations. Finds evidence of competitive relationships within sports and romance stories, as well as elements of violence and metaphors…

A study examined the views of five Norwegian teachers who are deaf on science learning by deaf students. The teachers see the systematic work in class discussions, especially on the concepts of physics, as a major contributor to their success and try to use similar methods in their own teaching. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article contains excerpts from "Feminist Theory from Margin to Center" (Hooks, 1984) to introduce gifted students to the concept of oppression in order to enable them to recognize and appreciate both the importance and the limits of purely sexist oppression. Discussion questions on oppression are provided. (Contains 2 references.)…

Presents ways that daily circle time can help build a community of learners in early childhood settings. Notes the importance of involving children in circle time routines, and building shared rituals, such as greetings and recognition. Discusses the use of circles at midday and the end of the day for reflection and community building. (KB)

Contends that a problem with using discussion in the classroom is that only a few students participate actively. Provides four strategies teachers can use to involve all of their students in a discussion and to encourage the development of their students' understanding of historical issues and problems. Includes a handout. (CMK)

Class discussions and student interaction were compared in a conventional class (n=33) and an Internet-based class using LearningSpace(R) software (n=29). No significant differences in learning or interaction quality were found. There was significantly more participation in the Internet course, particularly by women. (SK)

Teachers in Germany, Japan, and the United States pose many questions to their students, and it is assumed that the kinds of questions teachers ask influence students' opportunities to think and communicate mathematically during lessons. Investigates teachers' use of questions in 8th-grade mathematics classrooms within the three cultures.…

Describes the use of newspaper advice column letters as case problems in a human development course where students wrote weekly papers focusing on defining the problem in the letter, offering a solution to that problem, and relating the letter to course concepts. Reveals that students enjoyed and learned from the assignments. (CMK)

Describes the role of meta talk (explicit talk about grammar) in the classroom practice of two English-as-a-Second-Language teachers. Classroom observations and teacher interviews provided descriptive data about the initiation, development, and outcomes of meta talk in the teachers' work, and insight into the rationale behind their approaches to…

Describes an approach to engineering mathematics instruction that uses case studies, not as illustrations of applications after a mathematical topic has been discussed, but in a fully integrated, central role as vehicles for whole group discussion from which students discover the necessary mathematics, which is subsequently taught. Discusses…

Examines the nature of student participation in an online discussion-oriented course delivered via the Web. Highlights include access to course materials; a focus on course content; changing participation while students served as course moderators; and community building through student dialog with each other and with the instructor. (Author/LRW)

Examines reliability issues in the large-scale assessment of speech communication through authentic techniques, used recently in Saskatchewan. Performance-based approaches enable educators to evaluate the integrated, interpersonal communication skills of large student populations, thereby modeling best professional practice. However, decentralized…