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…

This is the final report of a three year program for preventing dropout attitudes from developing in the middle schools in grades 6,7, and 8. The project plans focused on three major goals: staff training for leading the project activities the development of materials for assisting teachers in the project activities, and the provision of…

This booklet is a guidebook for leaders of small group discussions in the Valleybrook Elementary School-Lakemont High School Simulation Game. The game focuses upon typical problems of elementary and secondary schools with heterogeneous (racial and ethnic) student bodies. The information in the guidebook is confined to a brief explanation of the…

In 1967, the California Congress of Parents and Teachers (PTA) and the Bureau of Adult Education of the State Department of Education conducted a ten day parent education workshop designed to help the participants understand how group dynamics functions to develop individuals to act as leaders in home and community. Lecturers addressed themselves…

A television workshop in human relations for teachers and other school staff was developed as a cooperative project involving the San Francisco and Oakland, California public schools, a unit of the University of California, the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development, and KQED, the area's educational television station. This…

Adult education in rural areas in Australia provides a contrast both in its general mood and intentions and in its organization with that in the United States. Particularly in rural areas, there seems to be less of the compulsion to organize groups (there are usually no school boards, no chambers of commerce, no women's clubs, no youth centers)…

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 paper describes and analyzes the experiences of an inquiry group that was part of a National Science Foundation-funded elementary mathematics teacher enhancement project, the "Mathematics for Tomorrow Project." Inquiry group meetings focused on discussions and interpretations of data that teachers have brought from their classrooms. A…

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…

Studied the effects of computer-oriented undergraduate research on student's cognitive and affective development. Findings indicate students in research or conventional discussion groups didn't differ on cognitive development; mandatory activities have a negative impact on attitudes; voluntary participation had a positive effect only on…

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)

Chronicles one professor's use of several electronic resources currently available to teacher educators, focusing on his earlier use of microcomputers and CD-ROM for secondary mathematics education and examining his current use of such Internet resources as electronic discussion groups, gopher services, and file transfers. (SM)

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)