A effort begun in 1976 by first-year Harvard Medical School students to humanize the medical curriculum is described. Eleven students have met one evening every other week to discuss issues in medical education, supplementing the curriculum as well as helping students become more effective and humane physicians. (LBH)

A new approach to an oral-visual history program was developed by utilizing slides of events from 1900-1950 to stimulate discussion, then recording recollections of senior citizens about the major issues of this period during group sessions. The development of the program is described along with recommendations for future program development. (EM)

Sociometric measurement showed effectiveness of student group discussions in improving social functioning of participants. Comparisons made between groups led by graduate students and those led by dormitory advisers. Results suggest wider use of student personnel to promote campus growth. (CJ)

Discusses methods used to help adults improve their reading skills and read with more enjoyment. Particular attention is paid to the Reading Club method. An illustration is given of a particular exercise used at a center in Paris. (AMH)

Experiences of small group tutorials in biology courses with the leader acting as participant rather than leader are summarized showing that the material used must stimulate discussion and be at the correct level for the group. Other significant factors include skills of the tutor, physical surroundings, and student preparation. (JMF)

Investigates how teacher talk and social interaction influence children's discussions, by comparing the talk occurring within literature circles in fourth-grade classrooms where teachers were and were not present. Discusses the four roles teachers took (facilitators, participants, mediators, and active listeners). Notes strategies students used to…

This paper argues that the emotional state of students' contributions need to be addressed in an online learning community. If feelings of fear, anger or isolation can lead to withdrawal or conflict then the potential for learning is reduced and a facilitator of an online course needs to manage these emotions at an early stage. Therefore, a…

Research shows that scientific knowledge develops through a process of decision-making as well as discovery, and that argumentation is a genre of discourse crucial to the practice of science. Students should therefore be supported in understanding the scientific practices of dialectical and rhetorical argumentation as part of learning about…

Today, anyone can publish text, audio, pictures, or video on the Web quickly and at no charge using blogs, wikis, podcasts, and videosharing sites like YouTube. An 8th grade American history class has taken advantage of these technologies to expand student learning. Students read books and blog about them with people who live in different states,…

Literature discussion groups have become a popular instructional alternative to traditional reading groups. Yet, literature discussion does not happen naturally in the classroom, and some teachers find it particularly difficult to implement with primary-grade students. This article explores how two teachers used a balance of explicit teaching and…

A web conference "adds value by generating discussion among a diverse student group" (Skinner, 2004a, p. 12). Or does it? A significant concern is the extent to which learners construct knowledge and develop a learning community through online discussion. Critics argue that genuine knowledge construction is difficult to achieve. This study…

A total of 221 (111 female and 110 male) British Medical students completed the NEO-FFI personality inventory [Costa, P. T., Jr., and McCrae, R. R. (1992). "Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual." Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.], an abbreviated version of Biggs'…

This study focuses on how to support students who have to work together in small groups, and who do not know each other, in performing grounding discussion. It compares two different implementations of a script, one using a structured interface, one using a textual instruction, on students' discussion behavior. The experiment involved two…

Online education has become a prevalent means of program and course delivery, especially within teacher education programs. However, the lack of preparation in online design is concerning, especially in the field of teacher education where the focus is preparing preservice and practicing teachers to implement effective, evidence-based…

When face-to-face lecture sessions and classroom seminars are conducted during hours and days that are not convenient to students, the level of student active engagement and participation is considerably reduced. In this situation, the use of Social Networking Sites can be an alternative to get students much more engaged by taking the…