Explores briefly the New Criticism that dominated literature instruction until recently and then provides an overview of reader response theory and how response approaches can be used in the classroom to enhance reading. (NKA)

Maintains that teaching strategies which seek to develop reasoning skills in children, especially those using a "collaborative inquiry approach," must be based on enhancing children's self esteem. Inadequate teacher training and the predominate "authority/knowledge-based" view of education are identified as major reasons for…

Using a time-sampling observation method, three experimental fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms were observed during discussion sessions with three desk arrangements: rows, clusters, and circles. Results indicated students seated in circles engage in significantly more on-task behavior. As expected, observed pupil behavior varied significantly…

Four contributors discuss methods of integrating speech communication instruction with English and writing instruction. (SRT)

The journal club is seen as one of the most frequently used instructional methods in postgraduate medical education. The purpose is to evoke interest in scientific research and promote critical reading skills while updating knowledge in specific content areas.(MLW)

Implications of using pupil-to-pupil discussion with mathematics classrooms are discussed, with different ways in which such discussion might promote mathematical understanding. A framework for instruction includes the learning of the computer language Logo. (MNS)

Reports an investigation into pupil-talk in small groups during a computer simulation. The role of language as a communication and understanding aid is considered, along with the microcomputer's potential as a stimulus to and generator of discussion. The contents of participants' conversations, at and away from the microcomputer, are analyzed.…

Five years ago, an introductory chemistry course for chemists and chemical engineers was redesigned to stress the scientific method, problem-solving, and reasoning skills. Describes: (1) changes made in the course; (2) impacts on student achievement; and (3) student ratings of the course. (JN)

Classroom-tested strategies for implementing mainstreaming in the secondary social studies classroom are described. These included textbook and lecture strategies; discussion, role-play, and debate strategies; and map, globe, and art projects. (RM)

Presents arguments to researching response to poetry that attempts to track the process as it occurs. Describes procedures designed to ensure that the responses that are recorded come close to representing the process by which adolescent readers go about making sense of a poem. (EL)

Proposes use of criteria-based scales, which prescribe levels of writing performance for a particular mode of discourse, as a way to teach and test student writing skills. Pre- and posttesting, teaching for the test utilizing the criteria-based scale, and why this method is successful are also discussed. (MBR)

Designers who are charged with creating online environments that support students' problem-solving efforts and instructors who are searching for instructional strategies to support students' asynchronous problem-solving efforts will find this paper useful. The paper describes a systematic approach for using computer-mediated bulletin boards to…

Over the past several years, education reformers have increasingly invested in the development of communities within schools as a central strategy to improve teaching and student learning. These communities come in various guises, including small schools, small learning communities, and teacher teams. Two assumptions about how these communities…

The author provides staff developers and educational leaders with tools needed to facilitate a workshop or study group, designed around his book. It gives chapter-by chapter activities focused on moral purpose and why it plays such a critical role in changing the context of school leadership. This guide explores in depth: (1) "Changing the…

The author describes her experiences teaching a computer-enhanced Modern Poetry course. The author argues that using computers enhances the concept of the classroom as learning community. It was the author's experience that students' postings on the discussion board created an atmosphere that encouraged student involvement, as opposed to the…