The author integrated reading in an Introduction to Business course to teach students to become involved with the material they read, to relate ideas from literature to the course content, and to stimulate interest in outside reading. Readings from "Iacocca: An Autobiography" were assigned and discussed in small groups. (CH)

The Action Learning Group is a strategy used in a nursing diploma/degree program to bridge the theory-practice gap. Techniques of reflective learning through group discussion allow students to become aware of the sources of their experience and beliefs and to move toward accountability and responsibility. (SK)

Describes a new technology called Group Decision Support Systems, which can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of meetings in a variety of organizational contexts. (SR)

Argues that student-to-student discussions are effective in clarifying thinking, reviewing concepts, and developing meaning from text. Discusses ways that cooperative learning principles and techniques can provide a framework to encourage true discussions in classrooms. (SR)

A computer bulletin board system (BBS) called "A Place with No Name" was developed for the gifted and talented community in the greater New Orleans (Louisiana) area. The BBS values warmth, responsiveness, and intelligence; has a system of user classes to reward users who contribute most to the quality of discussion; and currently offers…

Presents four Dutch teachers' experiences with concept mapping, identifying features of the concept mapping task that helps it provoke and support a productive student discourse and explaining that the design of the task can affect the quality of student interaction. The paper describes the concept mapping task, student articulation of feelings,…

Compares the assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses of seven approaches frequently used in the public sector to involve large numbers of people in planning and implementing change. The approaches are real-time strategic change, search conferences, future searches, strategic options development and analysis, strategic choice, technology of…

Explores what happens in senior medical student group sessions when students bring their own cases to the groups for discussion. Suggests that most groups run on a case-presentation and discussion format and that students want tutors to act as expert resources and be flexible in allowing students to direct the discussion. (Author/MM)

In this article I discuss an excerpt from a group discussion between five 15-year-old boys who, in the presence of an adult moderator, engaged in the act of "slut bashing" while telling a minimal story about an incident of female promiscuity. The analysis proceeds microanalytically in a three-step procedure that details the positions taken by the…

This article briefly describes a role-playing exercise designed to break the ice in a classroom literature circle from The Ultimate Small-Group Reading How-To Book: Building Comprehension through SmallGroup Instruction, written by Gail Saunders-Smith. The members of a literature circle participate in the group discussion according to the…

This is a summary of some of the issues raised in a recent online discussion forum organized by the IATEFL Young Learners' Special Interest Group. To mark the close working relationship between IATEFL and ELT Journal, and to give our readers access to these discussions, we are planning to publish more summaries of this kind from other IATEFL SIGs…

In this article, the author presents the dangers in group work. He states that one common dilemma is when groups tend to come to agreement too quickly. Another dilemma is when the team is getting bogged down and becoming defensive or adversarial when members express new ideas or introduce new data. Finally, a very common danger is group members'…

The authors describe practitioners' professional development, the challenges and dilemmas that they confront, and the support they receive in their work. They focus on examples of supervision sessions and describe typical dilemmas and solutions that come up during these sessions. These examples reflect four main themes that were identified as…

Encouraging children to think--independently and publicly--is possibly one of any teachers' most challenging and rewarding responsibilities. Young children's less-developed language and listening skills further complicate teachers' work at the early elementary level. Yet, the author has been fortunate to work with many teachers who have embraced…

In today's increasingly "flat" world of globalization (Friedman 2005), the need for a scientifically literate citizenry has grown more urgent. Yet, by some measures, we have done a poor job at fostering "scientific habits of mind" in schools. Recent research on informal games-based learning indicates that such technologies and the communities they…