Research indicates that the instructional conversation (IC), a dialogue between teacher and learner in which prior knowledge and experiences are woven together with new material to build higher understanding, can be an effective method for raising the low academic achievement levels of various groups of Native American students. The IC contrasts…

Traditionally, disadvantaged groups, such as women and minorities, have not excelled in science and math. Often the lack of literacy and achievement in these subjects is due to the following factors: (1) cognitive differences between how the information is presented and how the students process it; (2) lack of familiarity, because of cultural…