Establishing a communication-rich classroom can be difficult. This article describes the process and findings of a practitioner action research study addressing the question of how teachers can interact with their students while they are working in groups to encourage and enhance student-to-student communication. Recommended research-based teacher…

National efforts have been made to encourage technology integration in teacher preparation with expectations for frequent and successful applications with K-12 learners. While online learning has become pervasive in many fields in education, it has been somewhat slow to catch on in K-12 settings. The "Handbook of Research on Emerging…

A supportive peer group management program for behaviorally disordered students is described. Children learn to confront one another about problems in a helpful, structured way. A generic problem list based on actual classroom experiences is composed of such elements as aggravation, hurting, lying, and disrespect for self and others. Children are…

This book, aimed specifically at new or relatively new facilitators of online education or training courses, is a guide to learning the ground-breaking techniques and skills necessary to effectively facilitate online dialogue, community, and ultimately, education. The book offers a theoretical framework and practical guidelines to help online…

Presents a class discussion about using the slope of the secant line through the vertex and the point on the parabola occurring one unit to the right as the slope of the parabola. (MKR)

Harvey Daniels (1994) describes literature circles as small, temporary discussion groups consisting of students who elect to read the same text. As each member assumes specific responsibilities in preparation for the discussion, those members come to the discussion with supporting notes related to his or her role. One elementary teacher refined a…

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…

This article discusses the National Issues Forum (NIF), a national, nonpartisan program designed to encourage citizen discussion of important public issues. The programs try to recreate the town meeting concept of reaching consensus on public issues. Short workbooks are available on two reading levels for issues such as the superpowers, crime,…

Discusses transitions to and from specific activities (i.e., free choice time, group activities, clean-up time, outside play, meals, naps, and using bathrooms) as well as children's arrivals and departures from the preschool or day care center. (CB)

Group processing after an outdoor experience provides feedback and the opportunity for critical reflection, which can enhance the benefits of the experience. This paper outlines some common problems in processing and suggestions to help outdoor leaders improve their facilitation skills. Common pitfalls that hinder effective processing include…

Presents a list of books designed to stimulate thought and lively discussion on feelings and emotions that concern children most. The article offers suggestions on how teachers should use the books in class. (SM)

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)

Presents strategies for coaxing students into insightful book discussions. The strategies include creating a comfortable environment, choosing groups that work together, being a good leader, picking meaningful books, following the students' leads, spinning conversational threads, lighting the conversational fire, and examining different angles on…

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…