Proposes a taxonomy of functions for direct reports of speech (and of writing and thought) in focus-group discussions. Reported speech both depicts the experience of the original utterance and detaches the reported utterance from the reporting speaker. (Author/VWL)

Describes an assignment used by a college professor in elementary and secondary education courses that offers a framework for small-group discussion of student-selected articles dealing with class topics. Notes that after using this format, other classroom discussions improved as well. (SR)

Focuses on a women's reading group that was organized for the purpose of discussing popular books from the Nancy Drew collection. Notes that when the participants were collaborative rather than hierarchical in their discussion stances, they constructed unexpected knowledge and expressed divergent views. Explores the implications of findings for…

Analyzes the functions of semiotic mediation in a long-term teaching experiment, Mathematical Discussion, on the plane representations of three-dimensional space by means of perspective drawing in grade two to five classrooms. (Author/MKR)

Presents brief descriptions of 32 children's books (published in 1999) that promote discussion of compelling characters, concerns of children, familiar stories, text and illustration with others, and tough choices. (SR)

Describes the Guided Lecture Procedure (GLP), a procedure that requires students to suspend all notetaking and listen carefully during an approximately 20-minute lecture, followed by an active notetaking and small group interaction phase. Adds one extra requirement in the active notetaking phase: requiring each learner to write a question for the…

Searches for examples of Authors Circles by talking with classroom teachers, surveying recent editions of this and other journals, and scanning library shelves for books on workshops and methods that incorporate student discussion with the teaching of writing. Discovers that descriptions of teacher-student conferences dominate explanations,…

Members of a diverse management class discuss how they explored issues of spirituality "in" and "of" work, an inclusive definition of spirituality and work, and opposition to organizational imposition of spiritual values. (SK)

Provides a reading on mosquitoes and the various diseases they cause. Discussion questions and a vocabulary development exercise are provided. (Author/VWL)

Argues that questions are essential to thought, that thinking is driven by questions, and that answers often signal a full stop in thought. Outlines the art of Socratic questioning, and describes how to construct a list of "prior questions" (questions presupposed by another question). Offers a sample Socratic dialog in a high school…

Examines the ideas surrounding the teaching and learning of measurement estimation in the classroom. Focuses on two teachers' instruction during estimation lessons and on their pupils by employing ethnomethodologically informed conversation analysis. Indicates that estimation is understood as discursively interdependent with measurement and is…

Explores why the idea of outsourcing campus information technology (IT) services rouses opinions and passions best handled by informed dialogue. Discusses how to conduct this dialog, including common myths about outsourcing and useful lessons. (EV)

Defines "spiraling" as a reappearance later in discussion of proposals that had received positive evaluation when first discussed. Evaluates the generality of spiraling in a set of 87 group discussions among undergraduate students. Shows large variability among groups. Notes many groups spiraled little or not at all and a few groups…

Uses qualitative analysis to understand how middle school students thought about and approached problems while they wrote descriptions of why and how they solve problems. Indicates that rich learning experiences are possible when writing is used as a way to prepare for small group discussion in mathematics. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/ASK)

A nursing school used asynchronous computer conferencing for student discussion groups and three distance sites and one host site. Course evaluation showed students appreciated the ability to review discussions and reflect before commenting and felt team collegiality. A switch to different software reduced the technology learning curve, but…