This article discusses a study which was designed to explore how online scaffolding can be incorporated to support knowledge acquisition in asynchronous discussion. A group of Singapore preservice teachers engaged in collaborative critiquing of videos before they embarked on their video projects to illustrate what constitutes good and bad video…

This research examines the emotional themes and discourse of emotion of early childhood educators using a post-structuralist theoretical framework of emotion. The data selected and analyzed is taken from 4 two-hour discussion groups that were conducted over an eight-week period with four female early childhood educators. The emotional themes and…

Online discussion groups have become a resource for teachers seeking ongoing professional development. Despite their popularity, there has been little systematic investigation into the nature and quality of the dialogue that occurs within an unstructured virtual community to which participants voluntarily subscribe. In this study, we explored how…

Given the explosive growth of online communications, new forms of discourse are an intriguing topic of study. This research focused on ten online discussions hosted by "The Chronicle of Higher Education," using content and discourse analysis of the postings to answer several questions. What is the "conversational scaffolding" used by posters in…

This study investigated the influence of online discussion forums on student achievement in reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and critical thinking in English as Second Language (ESL) instruction. Fifty-four senior high school students participated in this study and were divided into three groups. Data were collected from achievement…

Understanding the relevance of basic science knowledge in the determination of patient assessment, diagnosis, and treatment is critical to good medical practice. One method often used to direct students in the fundamental process of integrating basic science and clinical information is problem-based learning (PBL). The faculty facilitated small…

Challenging student behaviors are a prominent factor in the development of teacher stress and burnout. When classroom-based teachers of preschool children with disabilities were surveyed to identify their training needs in one North Carolina county, the most frequent request was how to address behavior challenges of preschool children with…

Literature circles or book clubs are small, heterogeneous groups of students who have chosen to read and discuss the same book together. The research on literature circles suggests that they hold great promise for increasing students' enjoyment of reading and honing their literacy skills. When evidence-based strategies are embedded into a…

AS PART OF AN ADULT LIBERAL STUDIES PROGRAM (BASIC ISSUES OF MAN), AN EVALUATION WAS MADE TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMBINATIONS OF TELEVISION, FILMS, WRITTEN MATERIALS, AND GROUP DISCUSSION IN EDUCATIONAL SITUATIONS INVOLVING EXPOSURE TO THE MEDIA ALONE OR IN GROUPS, THE AIM OF THE PROGRAM BEING TO BRING ABOUT ATTITUDINAL CHANGES. THE…

A FINAL REPORT IS PRESENTED HERE ON A PILOT PROJECT THAT WAS CONDUCTED DURING THE 1962-63 ACADEMIC YEAR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO IN WHICH SECONDARY SCHOOL SPANISH TEACHERS WERE GIVEN AN IN-SERVICE COURSE IN APPLIED LINGUISTICS. A HISTORY OF THE EXPERIMENT IS OUTLINED AND FOLLOWED IN PART II BY AN EVALUATION OF THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE…

Inclusive practice is well embedded across society and has developed over time. However, although policy and public view have moved forward, the way organisations address the agenda for inclusion often represents a superficial interpretation of this concept. Qualitative data were gathered using new ethnography to explore the experiences of a…

When one instructor began to use cooperative learning groups as a main teaching strategy in teacher education courses, she designed a large group oral exam format to take the place of traditional paper-and-pencil testing. The group oral exam format reduced text anxiety as there was no right or wrong response; it drew on both the cognitive and…

This paper describes the use of qualitative observation techniques for gathering and analyzing data related to group processes during an Accelerated Schools Model training session. The purposes for this research were to observe the training process in order better to facilitate present continuation and future training, to develop questions for…

Graduate programs which typically produce college instructors rarely teach "how to teach." There is an instructional tool, however, which is invaluable for developing instructional communication skills: the case method. It can also be an effective means of helping pre-service teachers develop teaching skills. The case method is an…

One of the prerequisites or unavoidable results of multiculturalism is that the classroom becomes what Mary Louise Pratt calls a "contact zone." But how does the teacher keep discussion productive without taking sides? How does the teacher abdicate enough authority to diminish the asymmetricality but not so much that the class becomes a…