These classroom guides, designed to accompany the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of February 2002, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Top stories include: Afghanistan's interim leader is making a global impression (February…

Sociometric measurement showed effectiveness of student group discussions in improving social functioning of participants. Comparisons made between groups led by graduate students and those led by dormitory advisers. Results suggest wider use of student personnel to promote campus growth. (CJ)

Describes and illustrates a series of discussions and a charting form to help junior high school instructors teach their students self-directed discussion skills. (RL)

Discusses methods used to help adults improve their reading skills and read with more enjoyment. Particular attention is paid to the Reading Club method. An illustration is given of a particular exercise used at a center in Paris. (AMH)

Outlines how students can use creative problem solving to define, analyze, and improve classroom discussion. Demonstrates the importance of a fact-finding discussion and taping to clarify individual and group characteristics. Identifies techniques students can employ to learn more about themselves and about more cooperative discussions. (KEH)

Offers a narrative based on a real event, in the form of a "docustory," describing that moment when teaching worked--when, in an instructional setting, communication was "perfect,""best," or "excellent." Describes a lively discussion of "The Joy Luck Club" in a tenth-grade literature class, fostering awareness of cultural diversity and…

Explores how teachers can guide children to deeper understandings of how literature works, just as a curator might show them through a collection. (MG)

Offers six axioms of instruction to foster rich collaborative discussion. Illustrates their use in four middle school science classrooms, showing how teachers and students read, searched text, and engaged in productive classroom talk about solving real health problems. (SR)

Discusses the major benefits that emerge for students and teachers when groups of six students discuss a book they are reading without teacher questions to structure and guide their interactions. Shows that books mixing narrative and exposition have the greatest potential to enhance student discussion. (SR)

Investigates how teacher talk and social interaction influence children's discussions, by comparing the talk occurring within literature circles in fourth-grade classrooms where teachers were and were not present. Discusses the four roles teachers took (facilitators, participants, mediators, and active listeners). Notes strategies students used to…

Describes how the authors introduced and organized small-group literature discussions in a first-grade bilingual class. Discusses the four most frequent types of student responses in discussions: living through the experience; looking closely at text and illustrations; exploring social issues; and making connections (to other books, life…

This article advocates the formation of a network of teachers meeting on a regular basis for the sharing of ideas and encouragement; an attempt at such an activity, RAP (Return and Participate) at Indiana University, is described. (JA)

A mistake by a teacher turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Her students learn poetry and she learns about her students. (MR)