This study investigated changing attitudes toward reading among elementary and secondary teacher candidates participating in in-class book group discussions in an introductory language and literacy course taught by two instructors in a medium-sized state teacher education program. Qualitative methods focused on both students' weekly self-reports…

Kathy McLellan and Tricia Suellentrop share a love of reading and a deep empathy for troubled teens, but they bring different strengths to their partnership. Suellentrop, according to McLellan, is the risk taker, the one who's "always willing to try something new and doesn't hesitate to step out there on the precipice." McLellan is the designated…

Growing numbers of school districts across North America are using study circles to build communitywide coalitions that make schools work better for everyone. Study circles are inclusive community conversations that lead directly to school or community change. They include a combination of large-group meetings and facilitated small-group…

Faculty reading groups explored the potential for creating a discussion series among departmental colleagues at a regional university. The objectives of this initiative were to enhance collegiality and to facilitate communication and consensus-building skills among peers. Two titles were read by participating faculty during sessions spanning two…

In a group situation, something goes wrong but no individual feels personal responsibility. This is called the "pie" phenomenon because everybody has a piece of the action, but all believe they are innocent. Each contributes to contagion and chaos but all say, "We didn't do nothing." In this article, the author, a pioneer in work with troubled…

Individuals who work in professional settings interact with others who may exhibit a variety of cultural beliefs and decision-making approaches. Page (2007) argues that cognitive diversity (i.e., how people approach and attempt to solve problems) is a vital asset in effective organizations. Michael Scott, who portrays the inept main character on…

The ambiguity of words and signs as a resource or obstacle in group discussions is studied. How deaf and hearing students aged 13-15 years elaborate on ecological concepts through dialogue is described. Group interviews were conducted with 14 hearing and 18 deaf students. Probes were used to initiate discussion about the different meanings of…

The author describes the use of literature circles in a social studies methods course for elementary preservice teachers and analyzes their effectiveness in teaching powerful social studies ideas. Literature circles encourage students to take more of a leadership role in the classroom, expect their active involvement, and challenge them to think…

This article presents the authors' comments on Crisp and Turner's (May-June 2009) research on "imagined intergroup contact" (p. 231). Its goals of reducing prejudice are laudable, especially with a motivation to "prepare people to engage outgroups with an open mind" (p. 231). The method is relatively simple, easy, and…

This article reports on a classroom-based experience that draws from the critical approach to heritage Spanish language teaching and Hanauer's concept of meaningful writing. Participants were three students enrolled in a first-year course for heritage Spanish speakers at a major Canadian public university. The writing component of this language…

This article presents the outcomes of research, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in England and informed by work in the fields of new literacy research, gaming studies and the socio-cultural framing of education, for which the videogame "L. A. Noire" was studied within the orthodox framing of the English literature…

After traumatic events, such as a natural disaster, children who are directly or indirectly affected by the event often have a number of intense emotional reactions. It is important for educators to understand common emotional and psychological responses to disastrous events and to try to help. This article describes a physical activity program…

This article describes teachers' collective work aimed at learning to teach mathematics for social justice. Teacher interviews, discussions, lessons, and written reflections were analyzed using grounded theory methodology, and teachers' conversations were examined concerning the relationship between mathematical goals and social justice goals.…

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to describe the perceived experiences of faculty who use lecture capture systems in face-to-face class meetings at small and medium-sized, four-year, highly residential, undergraduate colleges and universities with enrollments between 1,000 and 9,999 students. Through audio-recorded…

Critical thinking is a highly desirable goal of online higher education courses. This article presents qualitative data from a mixed-method study that explores how asynchronous discussions within online courses influence critical thinking among students. In this study, online discussions were related to higher levels of critical thinking, but…