A Talking Circle incorporates traditions from various Native American tribes and represents the practice of gathering as a community to solve problems, and the practice of respectful listening. This article describes the benefits of introducing students to a Talking Circle as a way of creating community in the classroom. Having a weekly class…

Phyllis Whitin was interested in the role of communications in developing mathematical understanding among children. She designed a problem-posing explorations system, which encouraged children to think, question, solve problems and discuss their ideas, strategies and solutions.

In this paper, we draw on Bernstein's [1996. "Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research, critique." London: Taylor and Francis] notion of "framing" of pedagogical communication to propose a framework for use in specific literacy contexts. Here, we illustrate how this framework has emerged from an examination of text response online…

Much recent educational research focuses on teaching and learning within classroom conversations. This raises the question of the role of ICT as a support for such conversations. The central argument of this paper is that the dual nature of computers, as machines (objects) which can be made to act as if they were people (subjects), allows them to…

In this article, the author distinguishes between traditional talk and reform talk. These two forms of approaches are often used in discussions concerning reforms in science instruction. Traditional talk focuses on student acquisition of scientific facts, concepts, principles, and skills while reform talk emphasizes that teachers must challenge…

Two university researchers conducted a survey of middle school teachers' read-aloud practices at a large state conference for middle level educators. Results of this survey provide a beginning step toward evaluating the ways in which middle school teachers use read-alouds in the classroom. This paper shares the results of the survey and offers…

This article considers the issues of attendance and non-attendance, the latter of which has been recently linked with "behaviour" in a range of policy initiatives in England. John Dwyfor Davies and John Lee review some of the existing material on non-attendance and then draw on data they have collected in one large English city. The…

This paper explores what happens when students engage with mathematical tasks that make no attempt to be connected with students' everyday life experiences. The investigation draws on the work of educators who call for a broader view of what might count as real and relevant contexts for studying mathematics. It investigates students' experiences…

The general objective of the "Rehabilitation Medicine Summit: Building Research Capacity" was to advance and promote research in medical rehabilitation by making recommendations to expand research capacity. The 5 elements of research capacity that guided the discussions were (a) researchers; (b) research culture, environment, and infrastructure;…

This activity helps students understand the relationship between public relations (PR) writing and news writing by demonstrating how PR material gets used in the production of news stories. Considering that "more than 70 percent of daily newspaper copy emanates from PR-generated releases," it is important for students to learn how PR professionals…

Earlier research [Discourse Process. 23 (2/3) (2002) 135] on argumentation suggests that adults use advanced discourse strategies more consistently, more frequently, and more flexibly than do adolescents. The present study examines the development of argumentation skills during adolescence. Forty-eight seventh and eighth graders were assigned to…

By examining a class discussion between an eighth grade student and her teacher around the reading of a literary text, my intent in this paper is to further the discussion around one of the central issues in English education today--the inquiry around whether it is more productive to teach literature by first connecting students' cultural…

Reflective journals have become an increasingly popular tool used by numerous faculty across many disciplines in higher education. Previous research and narrative reports of journal writing have explored student perceptions of journal writing, but very little is understood about faculty perceptions. In this paper, we report on a study involving…

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals can have a positive impact on the human condition of individuals and families living in poverty. However, to fully understand the issues of poverty, professionals need exposure to the issues and concentrated time to examine poverty through research, issue analysis, and reflection. This article…

A key principle in problem-based learning (PBL) is the student linking learning from different sources to enrich understanding. We have explored how medical students based in a clinical environment use clinical experience within PBL groups. We recorded the discussion of 12 third-year groups, which were meeting for the second time on a PBL case,…