Describes literature discussion groups and the role of talk in them. Examines the stories of three teachers who ran into roadblocks in literature discussion groups and turned their roadblocks into questions and inquiries. Discusses the important insights they discovered about talk, literacy, students, and themselves as they inquired. (SR)

Explores power relationships between teacher and participants in an inservice course as the tutor attempts to shift responsibility away from a teacher and toward the learners. Sees episodes of silence during the reflective discussions as particularly significant in the dynamic and changing awareness. Uses fictional writing to express feelings,…

Describes questioning methods trainers can use to uncover training needs (interviews, surveys, test questions, program evaluations). Illustrates the use of questions at the beginning, middle, and end of training sessions. (SK)

Discusses a system of training inservice mathematics teachers based on the psychoanalytic theories of the Balint group. Illustrates this approach through the analysis of material taken from a recorded session concerning one particular teacher. (MDH)

Although traditional surveys are a valuable tool for college institutional researchers and others gathering data to support quality improvement programs, focus groups offer another technique for understanding university community members' needs and opinions by probing areas of special interest. University of Miami (Florida) experience illustrates…

Describes a college-level, mixed-gender date rape workshop provided to over 1,400 students. The workshop included student discussion. Evaluations indicated students were positive about the experience. Very few felt uncomfortable discussing date rape in mixed groups, and nearly all agreed that date rape was a topic worthy of discussion. (SM)

Seeks to determine which aspects of managerial communication and decision-making are amenable to technological support. Finds groups using computer-mediated, electronic communication generated more unique and high-quality ideas (over a fixed time period) than groups using verbal communication. (NH)

Describes the use of reading guides as an interactive technique to stimulate comprehension. Provides an example using a popular novel. (MG)

Asserts that role-playing peer-response groups provide effective feedback and help students develop a sense of the characteristics of a particular audience. Illustrates with a sample lesson (a college application essay) by outlining five steps of the process. Offers other uses of the role-playing peer-response groups method. (PRA)

Presents recent research in developmental psychology that supports conclusion that understanding of dynamics of self-development within social context of group is necessary to curriculum development in ethics education. Suggests that group work is central to successful implementation of any ethics education program and that group discussion of…

Discusses what research says about silent and oral reading and the implications this has for reading instruction and instruction in the content areas. States that students are more attentive during silent reading and participate more in follow-up discussions of silent reading than in oral reading. (MG)

Compares traditional instruction in poetry with collaborative learning in poetry with grade-three students. Finds that the collaborative learning strategy led students to more mature responses to poetry than the teacher-directed strategy. (RS)

Encourages teachers to allow students to engage in conversation and discuss what they do and do not understand. Discusses different types of questions found in classroom instruction: factual questions, reasoning questions, and open questions. To promote communication, teachers must change their beliefs about instruction. (PDD)

Describes the pros and cons of using small groups in the English classroom. Considers why some teachers succeed while others fail when trying to use small groups. Provides and illustrates four discussion-leading techniques which facilitate small group interaction. (HB)

Describes the way four teachers utilize and foster small group discussion in the English classroom. Provides numerous experiences that practicing English teachers have encountered in using small groups. Gives specific classroom techniques and advice for small group discussion administration. (HB)