THIS GUIDE TO CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP BEGINS WITH A CHAPTER ON LEADERSHIP PSYCHOLOGY AND GOES ON TO PRESENT OUTLINES FOR RUNNING CONFERENCES. THE LEADER PREPARES FOR THE MEETING BY COLLECTING FACTS ON THE SUBJECT, PREPARING AN OUTLINE, KNOWING THE PARTICIPANTS, MAKING PHYSICAL ARRANGEMENTS, AND WRITING THE TENTATIVE SUMMARY. IN THE CONFERENCE HE…

As online professional development courses for teachers have grown, the discussion forum has become a locus of considerable research. This study analyzes the discussion forums in four different sessions of a short (4-week) online course for teachers from six schools in three states. This study also compares four methodologies, all of which have a…

This study offers an alternative to traditional notions of scaffolding for reading comprehension by tracing the evolution of a fifth-grade small group literature conversation in which the teacher sought to displace himself as "primary knower" (Berry, 1981) in the conversation. The study examines how the teacher shared evaluation with his…

The "Darfur is Dying" website was the winning entry of a contest called Darfur Digital Activist, launched by MTV's 24-hour college network (mtvU). The site describes the winning game as "a narrative-based simulation where the user negotiates forces that threaten the survival of his or her refugee camp. It offers a faint glimpse of what it is like…

Intended as a resource for student seminars, this guide describes the seminar process and provides suggestions for making seminars more productive. First, the learning objectives of the seminar process are listed, indicating that students should gain the following skills: group interaction, integrative discussion, critical evaluation, and…

The focus in this report is the concept of what it means to "do mathematics" in the context of a group working committee of teachers and researchers committed to reforming mathematics teaching. During a regular meeting of this group of teachers and researchers, the participants explored the mathematical reasoning embedded in one…

This study analyzes the reaction essays of 24 elementary preservice teachers who read and discussed the same case. The preservice teachers were in two different sections of the same special topics course. Care was taken to balance the sections as closely as possible by age, ethnicity, and major areas. Graduate discussion leaders were chosen to…

The 18 papers in this proceedings describe strategies and practices used in undergraduate psychology courses at two- and four-year colleges. The following presentations are included: "The Costs and Benefits of Critical Thinking," (Randall E. Osborne, Judy Laws, Ken Weadick, and Vicki Mantooth); "What's a Developmentalist To Do?" (Judith Luis);…

In 1979, Delta College, in Michigan, established a bioethics requirement for all nursing students. This paper describes a project to teach one of the required ethics course to local hospitals to observe students while they work and discuss ethical dilemmas as they arose. Introductory sections discuss project rationale and procedures, indicating…

This paper reports on findings of a multi-faceted preliminary study designed to identify the technical information needs of academic department chairpersons at a public urban university. Study methodology involved: (1) two 2-hour focus group sessions in which a total of 10 department chairpersons participated; (2) short written reports from the…

In order to increase statistical power, this study combined the data of three previous studies on the role of parent involvement in early intervention for children with disabilities. Each of the studies found a mixed pattern of positive results on child outcomes and, in two of the studies, on family outcomes. The combined subjects (n=181) had mild…

This fact sheet provides an overview of the special concerns of siblings of children with special health and developmental needs, describes one model approach addressing these concerns, and outlines considerations for respite care agencies. Special concerns of siblings include feelings of loss and isolation, an unmet need for information about the…

CNN Newsroom is a daily 15-minute commercial-free news program specifically produced for classroom use and provided free to participating schools. The daily CNN Newsroom broadcast is supported by a Daily Classroom Guide, written by professional educators. These classroom guides are designed to accompany CNN Newsroom broadcasts for a given month,…

The paper briefly discusses pedagogical theory underlying the application of cooperative learning strategies in postsecondary environments and describes specific cooperative pedagogical strategies. Most of the paper consists of descriptions of the following exemplary cooperative learning techniques, with supporting data when available: (1)…

Peer action groups generally begin with adults who form a peer group because they are participating in the education or parenting of a common group of teenagers. This paper contains seven sections which address questions connected with establishing peer outreach groups for junior and senior high school students: (1) Who are "at-risk…