Advantages and disadvantages of group discussion as a method of instruction are reviewed in this paper and criteria are suggested for determining when group discussion is or is not an appropriate instructional method. The guidelines provided take into consideration the characteristics of the students, the teacher, the group as a whole, and the…

Alternatives to the lecture in college teaching of literature. (AA)

Describes a group project from a course on rural, countercultural communitarians' attempts to create utopian communities. Explains that the project gives students the opportunity to integrate material from a variety of sources and to apply it to a group term paper. Suggests that the project utilizes experiential methods for learning abstract…

A common problem in an "experiential class" is the lack of attention devoted to group closure at the end of the course. Toward the end of the semester, students working in small groups in organizational behavior classes often experience anxiety over losing the support and identity that they enjoyed as members of a small learning group. A final…

Discusses the use of an advertising symbol to demonstrate levels of meaning a symbol may have. (TJ)

Presents a classroom exercise that can help students focus on the difficulties in defining normal sexual behavior. Provides a 30-item questionnaire on which students indicate whether or not a variety of behaviors are normal. States that students then meet in groups and construct a definition of "normal" sexual behavior. (DB)

This paper focuses on the answering and asking of questions in college-level courses and makes suggestions regarding questioning techniques for lecture classes and discussion groups. "Question" (Q) is defined as "any eliciting of an answer (response) regardless of grammatical form. "Answer" (A) is defined as "any…

Stresses the importance of teaching students to revise and suggests a way to teach revising as part of class discussion. (TJ)

Illustrates how students can gain access to the Japanese imagination and become familiar with the form and features of the "haiku." (TJ)

Discusses using two class periods to discuss a short story--the first to discuss individually chosen material related to the story, author, or setting; the second to discuss the story itself with references to the related readings. Also discusses related writing assignments. (TJ)

Describes a group discussion process for helping students make use of the vocabulary that normally lies dormant in their minds. (TJ)

In a method called "cooperative controversy," students team up to study controversial subjects, then synthesize their findings. In a philosophy course, small-groups work on a specific philosophical problem. Group work was as effective as traditional lecture in three cases and more effective in two cases. (MLW)

Describes a writing assignment designed to aid students' perception of audience, purpose, format, vocabulary, pertinent information, and peer editing. Establishes a framework for both independent student research and group work and revision. Encourages students to establish a rapport with groups to evaluate the writing's content, presentation,…

This viewer's guide is designed to encourage discussion about the issues covered in the four-part public television series "Liberty & Limits: 'The Federalist' Idea 200 Years Later" that aired during 1997. The series examines whether the current U.S. political system still matches the vision of its founders. The guide offers: an essay…

Usual student seminar classes involve students presenting papers to the class. Alternatives to this approach are offered that maximize student audience involvement. The suggestions incorporate variations of sub-grouping, idea generation, discussion of important statements, and the refining, clarification, and evaluation of key statements. (JMD)