Discusses previous research on the potential of small-group activities in both research and instructional contexts, and considers the use of a science task as a context for group problem-solving. (MLH)

Describes a college drug education course designed to: (1) devote class time to expressing and clarifying values; (2) allow students to study topics of interest to them; (3) use an essay final examination instead of a multiple choice test; and (4) study over-the-counter products. (Author/SL)

Described are group processes of goal setting and class meetings which may help emotionally disturbed and behavior disordered children to pinpoint and control their problem behaviors. (CL)

This paper describes a community outreach program that is aimed at mothers of preschool children for the purposes of primary and secondary prevention of mental illness. The goals of the group meetings are to expand the mothers' problem-solving capacities and share child-rearing experiences. The groups are lead by health care professionals. (NG)

Describes a university-level course which attempts to make intellectual history more interesting to students through the incorporation of popular classics. The lecture and discussion treatment of 12 literary works is described. (Author/DB)

Civics courses are a source of civic skill development, yet not all American students receive civics instruction. This fact sheet reports evidence on the effect of civic education on the civic skill levels of young people. It uses "average treatment effects" to report the effects of studying various civics topics on civic skills. Civic…

Discipline is an integral part of the teaching profession, but there is little preparation for it in teaching programs. In this article, the author describes how she maintains effective discipline in a formerly unruly classroom by creating lessons that engage students and allow them to move around, praising students' efforts as often as possible,…

If you are looking for a book that provides concrete advice for establishing group reflection, then "Talking Teaching" is the perfect choice. The work is the product of a 3-year grant-supported induction year program. College faculty from an associated group of colleges joined staff developers from a growing suburban district in creating an entire…

"Courage Work," based on the writings of Parker Palmer, often involves the use of poetry as a vehicle for exploring and examining teachers' inner lives. This paper discusses how poetry was used with a group of undergraduate preservice elementary teachers in the Fall 2004 term, to explore how students responded to the poetry, particularly in light…

Communities, schools, and individual teachers differ widely in their understanding of whether the classroom should be a place for helping children make sense of tough topics. In this "Occasional Paper," four educators describe their approaches to tough topics in the classroom--gender, sexual identity, death, and diversity. Despite differing…

C.M. Condit (1986) has pointed out that audiences regard characterizations as the most salient feature of any text. The power of identification or "the result of all the components in the rhetorical act" (K. Burke, 1945, 1950) is compelling. The power generated by viewers' responses to character-centered films can be harnessed in the…

How are political messages shaped by media pundits and candidate operatives? This unit of instruction, which deals with this topic, is a part of MCOM 1003/Introduction to Mass Communication. The 1992 presidential debates (between President George Bush and Governor Bill Clinton, with the addition of Ross Perot) can serve as an excellent forum to…

The purpose of this study was to determine if reading with a buddy and participating in a literature discussion would have an effect on reading comprehension achievement. For six weeks, seven pairs of third grade students met three times a week to read assigned material and participate in small group literature discussions to construct meaning and…

For one freshman composition instructor, the method that has brought more students out of their shells in her classes over the past three years is group conferencing. Adapted from compositionist Donald Murray's method of conferencing with individual students to discuss their papers, group conferencing gives students the opportunity to discuss…

Presentation and discussion of children's picture books as well as classroom meetings were implemented on a twice-weekly basis in a fourth grade classroom in an attempt to improve each student's sense of community within the classroom. A survey ("Measuring Classroom Community") which was administered to the teacher and to each student as well as…