Describes the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (Florence, Arizona) in which lawyers help individuals who are being detained in Florence. Explains that the project offers service to individuals at the detention center, helps children without guardians, and provides information to immigrant communities on their rights when arrested.…

Argues that achievement gains in literacy in the middle school classroom revolve around the three elements of "dialogic instruction" orchestrated to support "envisionment-building classrooms" centered around substantive and sustained "curricular conversations." Asserts that effective classroom practices that include…

Discusses the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve education. Highlights include virtual discussions; the need for data about students to help them learn effectively; listening to students; current uses of ICT in teaching; feedback from students; and a proposed model for virtual classrooms. (LRW)

Discussion of research traditions in education focuses on an analysis of the effectiveness of two research strategies, an individual debriefing interview and a group colloquium. Explores the results within two literatures: the literature of interviewing, including focus groups; and the literature of higher education on the relation between…

Presents guidelines for moderating online educational computer conferences. Explains how to prepare for the conference, including becoming familiar with the software and developing a contract with students to ensure their participation; discusses ongoing conference activities, including focusing the discussion; and relates common problems and…

Describes how the author uses Franz Kafka's "A Little Fable" with his mainstream class of high school juniors. Considers how it is essential to show students how to stop reading when they don't understand something--to go back and reread it and begin making sense of it. Uses writing lists, student opinions, and classroom discussion. (SG)

Describes a project within an early childhood multicultural teacher education program that examined what makes educational environments conducive to discussing culturally sensitive issues. Diverse students participated in two discussions, created guidelines, and completed interviews and questionnaires. Students and the instructor stressed the…

Considers how the "Readers Are Survivors" program encourages students to become lifelong readers, and focuses on the value of providing families with a way to actually communicate about something other than homework, chores, and curfews. Presents a description of what has evolved over the past three years in this program. Suggests that…

Adult day care center incorporated feelings group into daily program, based on Yalom's focus group model. Group discussion encourages communication, understanding, and trust, and buffers the effects of physical and emotional losses sustained by participants. Anticipated outcomes include increased self-esteem, decreased loneliness, and regained…

Describes how gender is integrated into a classical social theory course by including a female theorist in the reading assignments and using "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood as the basis for class discussion. Reviews the course objectives and readings; describes the process of the class discussions; and provides student…

Argues that writing students can be their own best critics, if teachers allow them to be. Describes a class in which students were assigned to write and discuss commentaries of their work. Explains that the procedure helps student and teacher alike to identify writing problems. (SG)

Evaluates how simulations of varying complexity are used for various purposes in the process of management development. Explains the theoretical rationale for the use of simulations as research tools to study managerial behavior, as assessment devices, and as learning experiences. Evaluates the appropriateness of using simulations in management…

Describes dilemma discussion approach used in 10-session program, based largely on cognitive-developmental theory, that is aimed at helping middle school students progress in their reasoning about using drugs. Ways in which the program provides students with opportunities to examine their current reasoning on drug use, consider peer perspectives,…

Argues that cooperative learning activities such as small group activities are important in social studies classes because they enhance text comprehension, nurture interaction skills, develop democratic behavior, and actively involve the students. (RS)

Research from social psychology on the effects of group discussion and of exposure to the opinions of other group members on the decisions groups make is reviewed. The pertinence of this research to standard-setting practices is considered, and the implications for the design of standard-setting procedures are explored. (SLD)