Many current criticisms of literature-based curriculum revolve around the use of balance in literacy instruction. This paper challenges these criticisms by sharing a personal history and proposing a curricular framework that provides an alternative view of balance, particularly in relation to the role of guided reading and literature discussion…

Describes tools and techniques that can be used to increase creativity in libraries. Highlights include idea files; brainstorming, in groups or as individuals; mind mapping; checklists; idea processing software; new age techniques such as brain integration and flotation tanks; and an annotated bibliography of six books on idea techniques. (LRW)

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…

Undergraduate students are routinely assigned a long research paper--surely the most complex intellectual skill ever expected from them--and expected to write it with a minimum of teacher and library interference and with thorough faith in the end product. More than anything else, the traditional approach to directing research papers focused on…

The "focus group discussion," a qualitative technique often used in market research, has been a useful tool in corporate exploration of employee child care needs and preferences and has led to the development of management policy regarding child care. The child care focus group has helped the employer learn more about employees' child care…

In this discussion on how teachers can encourage and develop students' abilities to think critically and creatively it is pointed out that fostering discussion in the classroom opens new avenues of thought and stimulates divergent thinking. Recommendations for helping teachers foster discussion in the classroom are: (1) making reflective…

"Courage Work," based on the writings of Parker Palmer, often involves the use of poetry as a vehicle for exploring and examining teachers' inner lives. This paper discusses how poetry was used with a group of undergraduate preservice elementary teachers in the Fall 2004 term, to explore how students responded to the poetry, particularly in light…

The peer self-help group approach used by Alcoholics Anonymous can be a model for other types of adult learning. The group's power, solidarity, experience sharing, and values clarification can provide positive social and educational experiences to others such as the chronically unemployed, illiterate adults, and high school dropouts. (SK)

This investigation of the effect of stimulus environment design on the probability of desired attitude learning provides a rationale for attitudes as reinforcement or reward values and discusses the roles of human models, group discussion, simulation, visual and verbal mediations of experiences, frequency of exposure, media selection, and learning…

Reviews the growth of literature study as an open-ended enterprise for student growth and discussion. Critiques new directions in literature study among children. Explains basic ideas behind the authors' recommendation for literature study. (TB)

Describes a study of undergraduates that investigated the effects of communication mode (i.e., face-to-face versus remote), information load, and distribution of information on biased discussion in groups. Topics discussed include computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS); biased discussion and information characteristics; and biased…

This essay describes the use of I Ching hexagrams as a focus to improve the ability of college student groups to evolve creative solutions and improve decision-making skills. The philosophy of I Ching is briefly explained, and examples are given of hexagram interpretations which are applicable to group discussion and problem solving. (DB)

Concern circles provide a comfortable approach to classroom counseling. A first grade teacher describes how she provided a support network to deal with students' emotional concerns. The 15-minute sessions, held each morning, allowed the children to take a more active role in resolving their own conflicts. (SM)

Shares a participant-observer's close look at small group experiences in a course called "American Experience" taught at an urban university. Considers the issue of how race can be discussed in the classroom when even collaborative approaches with emphasis on student contributions can be undone by the power of the dominant discourse. (TB)

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…