The Project for Enhancing Effective Learning (PEEL) is a well-established Australian example of teacher collaborative action research. The aim of the project, which began in a secondary school in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) and later spread to other countries, is to improve the quality of students' classroom learning through practice in…

A general education cluster course structure at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, is described. Philosophy, anthropology, and geography classes met separately to cover the different disciplines, and joint sessions for learning exercises were held. Cluster course objectives were: to provide undergraduates with a broad and integrative…

Because of repeated conflicts between immigrant and local Filipinos in Hawaii's schools, the Kabataan project was implemented to create an ongoing dialogue between the academic and Filipino communities. This project description, part of a theme issue on community education, includes a summary of the input by Filipino parents. (SJL)

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…

Examines how teacher educators introduced and modeled a language of possibility in an inquiry group to help prospective teachers acquire a secondary teacher discourse. Illustrates how the discourse supported the interns in finding ways to control their own professional learning and act on their emerging philosophies in the midst of powerful…

Outlines one attempt to infuse technology into an educational psychology course, discussing commonly available tools and techniques (e.g., online syllabus, e-mail, World Wide Web, presentation packages, and use of learning teams and electronic discussion groups). The paper examines obstacles, student responses, application in the K-12 classroom,…

Examines how the inclusion of multicultural texts played out in one predominantly white rural community, focusing on repercussions of a key event that set off conflict in the community and describing how various interpretations of this event haped teachers' and community members' beliefs about the selection, interpretation, and teaching of…

The Seattle Public Schools' effort to define and establish effective schools is described in this paper, a transcript of four coordinated presentations. Ellen Roe, the first presenter, recounts the design of the project. Planning, she states, was begun in late 1981 by a decision seminar (comprised of teachers, administrators, a community…

The paper describes the basic features and techniques of a specific kind of discussion group, the Grouptalk. Grouptalk, especially useful in the elementary grades, is a formal discussion of a question by a small group and a leader. Participants follow the specific rules that all contribute relevantly to the discussion and that all help in the…

Describes three literacy organization and public library programs: Project LEARN (Cleveland, Ohio), which encourages higher-level beginning adult readers to want to read on their own; Greenville County (South Carolina) Library's Latchkey Kids Program; and policies on unattended and disruptive children developed by Iowa City and Cedar Rapids (Iowa)…

This study examined how children, drawn from K-6 grades in 3 primary schools in southwest Sydney, use computers in their homes and the physical and social environments within which they use them. Key issues explored were diversity of access, range of uses, and factors which influence use, including gender, age, and parental and sibling role…

Describes the American lyceum movement in the nineteenth century, which embodied many principles now included in adult learning theory. The lyceum was a sort of adult learning center, mostly at the village level, which used the lecture-teaching-learning approach with community study circles to share experience and knowledge. (MF)

Features four organizations that offer elementary, secondary, and postsecondary distance education courses. Topics include contracting with schools to convert their courses to an interactive environment, interactive courseware, testing, electronic discussion groups, and professional training. Notes distance education resources available on…

Describes teacher professional groups being implemented in Chilean secondary schools to improve the quality and equity of public education, examining utilization of research and theory development on educational policy and changes in educational systems. Discusses implementation of the groups and examines what has been learned via case studies and…

This article describes the establishment of a "women's issues" group with middle-school gifted girls. Ground rules for the group, selection of materials for discussion, issues discussed, and outcomes of the group are highlighted. Participants were found to like learning, like thinking about abstract issues, and have high academic goals. (CR)