Describes a 90-minute lesson on urban nature writing that was taught as part of a 12-week journal writing course for middle school students. Notes class discussions debating "what is natural" as an inspiration for "urban nature writing." Considers differences in discussion between the grade levels 6-8. Concludes that benefits…

Discusses whether students can learn science from carefully designed online peer discussions. Contrasts two formats of contributed comments--historical debate and narrative text--and assesses the impact of an asynchronous discussion on student understanding of the nature of light. Reports that students gain integrated understanding of the nature…

Summarizes research concerning the influence of different types of discussions about moral dilemmas between adolescents and either parents or peers on the adolescents' moral development. Discusses implications for camp staff, who may lead campers in discussions based on real-life moral dilemmas in their cabins. (SV)

Describes an activity in which the students examine gender differences in smiling, using individual yearbook photos as a data set. Explains that the activity provides a means for reviewing null and alternative testing, operational definitions, interpretation of results, and external validity. Addresses the activity evaluation. (CMK)

Describes how using prereading opinionnaires enhances students' understanding of literature while satisfying many of the demands of Standard #3 of the Standards for the English Language Arts. Offers examples of such opinionnaires, and shows how one was used in a 9th-grade English class to promote students' understanding of the novel "The Giver,"…

Argues against the notion that Chinese students do not volunteer to participate in tutorial discussion. Interview data obtained from a group of Chinese tertiary students in Hong Kong has shed some light on the subtle relationship between the traditional Chinese concepts of learning and students' behavior in tutorial discussion. (Author/VWL)

Considers how practicing and prospective teachers might address the needs and capabilities of both female and male students. Notes that current projects of the Commission on Gender Issues in English Teacher Education of the National Council of Teachers of English will explore how teachers negotiate the demands of discussing literature in a diverse…

Describes different girls' groups and organizations and discusses how to start a girls' group in a community. Presents a sample outline of activities in a creative arts and writing group conducted at a middle school in New York City. Identifies issues to consider as a girls group develops. Includes lists of print and Internet resources. (AEF)

Describes ways that emerging technologies foster intersubjectivity within online graduate courses by allowing for multileveled communication attentive to students' diverse needs and styles. Topics include interface design; communicative aspects of asynchronous and synchronous discussion; building online communities; and shared knowledge.…

Describes the sketch-to-stretch strategy, in which students show what a story means to them by sketching lines, colors, shapes, symbols, or pictures. Suggests the strategy is effective in encouraging a diversity of perspectives about a story, and in using it, many potential at-risk readers as well as stronger students become valued literary…

Using learning through discussion, an active or deep learning technique, nine occupational therapy doctoral students reported positive experiences, active engagement in critical thinking, and transformative learning. There were no significant differences in their perceptions of their performance over 9 weeks. (Contains 40 references.) (SK)

Looks at literature discussion groups from the student's perspective. Finds three major themes: (1) students have a clear notion of the conditions that are conducive to effective discussions; (2) students perceived the gender make-up of their group to influence how they participated in and experienced their discussions; and (3) students found the…

Explores the relationship between the teacher's role and the students' participation within literature discussion groups in a third-grade classroom. Finds two salient themes: the problematic nature of students' transition from a teacher-led to a student-led discussion format; and the responsive nature of the teacher's interventions relative to…

Describes an activity in which students categorize the sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual) of 10 fictional people. Students study aspects of sexual orientation, including its resistance to rigid and consistent definitions. The activity has been used in Psychology of Women, Sexual Behavior, and Psychology of Sexual Orientation…

Demonstrates how Web-based bulletin boards can facilitate learning and dialogue based on a case study of graduate education students in face-to-face classes. Analyzes bulletin board postings, electronic journals, reflective essays, class discussions, and interviews from an adult learning perspective to reveal how these online experiences can…