Argues that teachers of writing and literature need to make connections between the classroom experience and personal and community values. (MM)

Seventeen five-member groups of secondary students were studied as they attempted to solve a science problem through group discussion. Results of the study show both advantages and disadvantages of this type of instruction. (MLH)

Describes a general physical science course employing primarily original readings and taught by a free type of discussion rather than direct teaching. (MLH)

An activity intended to foster authentic conversation in the foreign language classroom--a hypothetical situation involving a choice of people who are to survive--is reported. French, German, and Spanish versions of the material are provided. (RM)

The intent of this study is to explore how WAP (wireless application protocol) technology mediates online discussions. The focus of this research is on the implications of WAP technology for online discussions, and the types of discussion topics that are most suitable for WAP-based discussions and the finding of the combination of WAP- and…

This paper considers student use of a web-based discussion forum in a second year, non-major Biology course. The authors discuss how meaningful participation in the forum is a form of public writing and may be an indicator of overall student success in the course. The authors also discuss how this success in the course is not tied to the students?…

The paper describes efforts to support the development of reflective practice at a basic school in Brno, the Czech Republic. The aims, structure, content and methods are mentioned, as well as some preliminary results. Also, the authors suggest a few preconditions of the success of possible future actions. The specific case is seen from the…

Traditionally, policymakers have attempted to improve the quality of the teaching force by raising minimum credentials for entering teachers. Recent research, however, suggests that such paper qualifications have little predictive power in identifying effective teachers. The authors propose federal support to help states measure the effectiveness…

The rationale for public schools has been divergently articulated around various broad themes integrated with a democratic society: economic production, socialization, integration, stability, and equality. Though divergent with regard to purpose and function of schools, advocates of these different purposes generally agree on a civic purpose of…

This collection of papers delves into reflection as a concept and provides specific, replicable tools for professional practice. Each chapter draws on a particular school situation, demonstrating the value of teacher reflection and describing the nuts and bolts of the process, offering protocols for handling many different circumstances. After…

This magazine is designed to help high school teachers of civics, government, history, law, and law-related education program developers educate students about legal issues. This issue focuses on immigration law and the American Dream. It includes 11 articles: (1) "U.S. Immigration Policy and Globalization" (P. Martin; S. Martin)…

Whereas reading for information requires finding a sense of the topic early in the reading and then searching for new information with reference to that topic, literary reading is in a constant state of flux. Four stances describe how accomplished readers interact with a given text: (1) people bring what they know from their reading and…

When Studs Terkel published "Working" in 1974, it quickly found its way into high school and college classrooms across the country. Not surprisingly, in the past 30 years, "Working" has sold over one million copies. This teaching guide for "Working" helps teachers to introduce their students not only to a great text,…

These classroom guides, designed to accompany the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of December 2001, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Top stories include: President Bush responds to the recent acts of terrorism in Israel,…

This study investigated college students' levels of understanding of texts and reading processes, noting how they changed through a cycle of individual reading and writing followed by classroom comparison of students' responses, text re-reading, and re-writing. The study, which followed 17 students of continuing Italian over 6 weeks, involved…