Finds that second-grade students of all reading abilities eagerly participated in posing and discussing questions in response to literature, asking more "why" questions than any other type. Offers recommendations for teachers interested in creating opportunities for students to discuss their own literature questions. (SR)

Discusses the reasons why teaching about the process of dying is relevant content for psychology courses. Offers suggestions for teaching about end-of-life issues in various courses on: (1) ethical, legal, and professional issues courses; (2) adult and life span development; (3) counseling diverse populations; and (4) assessment and diagnosis.…

Presents a technique used to understand the anchoring-adjustment heuristic and to integrate the concept with social psychological principles. Explains that students estimated the number of yearly stroke-related deaths that occur in the United States. Reports that the interaction between anchor and familiarity with the heuristic predicted stroke…

Argues that microeconomics principles courses are structured around an approach to policy that avoids many controversial but central policy issues including: the interplay of moral issues and efficiency; questions of consumer sovereignty; and questions of the interrelation between measures of efficiency and income distribution. Suggests a dual…

Rudeness and status can affect group-problem-solving processes. A new statistical method for analyzing group processes was used to analyze predictors of agreement and solution score. In successful groups, agreement was affected positively by academic status and negatively by justifications. In unsuccessful groups, however, agreement was affected…

Presents a study that examined the reactions of students to a classroom exercise in which students observed how gender stereotypes influenced memory processes. Explains how one student tells a story to second student; that student tells a third student; and the third student tells the entire class the story. (CMK)

Describes Body Parts Writing, an activity which focuses on the reader's own text-based and self-based interpretations of literature. Notes that the purpose of this activity is to invite and support readers' personal responses and give them a forum to discuss their individual interpretations. Concludes that it provides readers with another way to…

Describes the use of learning cells to facilitate Socratic-like discussion and discusses how they can be adapted to the Internet. (EV)

Focuses on adolescent students' perceptions of their own actions, thoughts, and motives related to classroom talk about texts. Finds that students are aware of the conditions they believe to be conducive to good discussions, knowledgeable about the different tasks and topics that influence their participation in discussions, and cognizant of how…

Discusses three electronic conferencing tools that apprentice novice learners and encourage them to interact and grapple with alternative perspectives. Technical details of each tool are described, along with 1 instance where all 3 technologies were united, resulting in a highly interactive conversation shared by over 30 people at 4 different…

Describes how a community college teacher of an essay-level developmental writing class improved the quality of writing groups in the class. Discusses how she researched writing groups and cooperative learning; developed lesson plans for several class meetings; revised the structure of the groups after observations and feedback from students; and…

Describes establishment and activities of a support group for hard of hearing secondary students, who may not define themselves as either deaf or hearing. Examples of discussion topics include definitions, dealing with insensitivity, student advocacy, assistive devices, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and self-exploration. (DB)

Describes a group counseling and team-building session, using the results of a career interest inventory to stimulate debate. Offers suggestions for conducting the session and developing an agenda, logistical procedures, and tips on practical administrative techniques. Most of the article addresses the development of a histogram. (RJM)

Analyzes four middle schools' experiences with interdisciplinary teams. Although teaming is often considered a vehicle for developing community in schools, it may also present tensions for developing cohesiveness across teams. Too little time may be devoted to discussing important whole-school issues. The demands of teacher empowerment within the…

Presents four short articles submitted by teachers that discuss a realistic approach to a developmental reading curriculum for college students, K-W-L (know, want, learn) learning journals for college students, using a combination of poetry and writing with middle school students, and abbreviations for notetaking. (SR)