RESEARCH ON TEACHING METHODS WAS REVIEWED TO DETERMINE WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE TEACHING. EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON EMPIRICAL RESEARCH, BOTH HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY, RATHER THAN THEORETICAL INNOVATIONS. DISCUSSIONS WERE PRESENTED ON (1) COURSE CONTENT AND CLASS SIZE, (2) TRADITIONAL TEACHING METHODS OF LECTURE AND DISCUSSION…

Forty fourth-grade students participated in a study of the effects of intact-group versus small-group discussion on type and level of verbalization and on reading attitudes. The experimental group, divided in subgroups of five pupils each, discussed seven stories; the control group discussed the same stories as an intact class with teacher…

Second graders (N=75) were randomly assigned to three learning conditions stratified for sex and ability level: (1) cooperative learning with structured oral discussion; (2) cooperative learning with unstructured discussion; and (3) individualistic learning. Achievement results indicate group-to-individual transfer does take place within…

Describes the procedures and techniques employed in a peer-group approach for promoting conceptual change. Explains how a series of cards were used to challenge student's conceptions of energy. Suggests that a systematic development of skills is needed to maximize the benefits of a peer group discussion approach. (ML)

Students construct meaning from text through conversation and social interaction. This research examines how the use of an online, threaded discussion, as a discourse support, can facilitate deeper levels of student understanding. The basic assumption being tested is that using discourse supports, applying various discussion strategies like…

This paper examines research on students' learning in small tutorial groups, highlighting: (1) cognitive processes elicited by small group discussion and their effects on achievement; and (2) the influence of tutors on student learning. The studies examined problem based learning (PBL) in small groups in high schools and universities. Researchers…

The purpose of this study was to examine how graduate students participated in Web-based course discussions by analyzing the interactions that occurred between synchronous (chat) and asynchronous (listserv) modes of discussions using a coding scheme developed by the researchers. The study examined whether participation was substantive (directly…

Presents three activities to promote participation in group discussions about books. Activity one involves displaying pictures of characters and having students describe them, citing specific actions from the book as proof. Activity two entails listing a story's actions into a flow chart. Activity three involves making a line graph indicating the…

This article presents excerpts from an inquiry group involving preservice teachers during a one-year internship. The inquiry group supported the interns in pursuing questions that arose out of their own practice. The excerpts illustrate three central topics (classroom management, curriculum and planning, and assessment), noting the challenges that…

The patterns of thought and behavior used by a teacher as he "created" a discussion with a group of gifted/talented children were examined. A cognitive map illustrates the techniques used to further the discussion. The teacher's use of professional practical knowledge (knowledge about teaching that was gained from experience) is…

Describes a case study involving the implementation of computer-mediated communications via the Internet linking two university instructional design classes in two different countries. Includes examples from student discussions, demonstrates the impact of discussions on the design projects, and considers access to computers and implications for…

Describes an investigation into the social dynamics of a technology-mediated preservice teacher environment (an Internet discussion group) and the extent to which community-building occurred. Discourse analysis examined how the technology-mediated discourse community reflected five main categories characterizing the ethos of classroom communities.…

Describes the use of interactive group journals in a graduate preservice Teaching English-as-a-Second-Language course. Students passed a computer disk around, each writing about issues and concerns and responding to the others. This collaboration acted as a catalyst for papers and projects and a forum for the creation and testing of original ideas…

The feasibility of using the verbal protocol method as a means of conducting field research on the online catalog is examined. As 10 undergraduate students conducted research they talked aloud about what was happening. Potential usefulness of the method in online catalog research is assessed, as a development tool and as a tool to assist reference…

Fourth semester students of Spanish as a foreign language at the university level in the US participated in two kinds of comprehensible-input based instruction, an extensive reading class that combined assigned and self-selected reading, and a "Reading-Discussion" class that consisted of assigned reading, debates and discussions. Students in both…