This article describes a new technique for improving the reading comprehension of elementary students. The Coop-Dis-Q technique combines cooperative learning, discussion, and questioning strategies to create a synergistic instructional effect. The specific steps of the technique and successful use of the technique in a fifth-grade classroom are…

'Structured Controversy' (SC) is a cooperative learning activity where students, working in small groups, argue one side of an issue and then another side of the same issue in two Rounds. Discussion includes: organizing the activity; evaluation; and positive results. Students reported a high degree of satisfaction with the SC activity and were…

Discusses the value of cooperative learning in higher education and presents a case study of how Towson University used computer technology to develop a Web-based project that allowed students to collaborate across disciplines. Describes the use of online discussion groups, multimedia, and hypertext to facilitate cooperative learning and…

Recounts a teacher's experience at the week-long IFTE (International Federation of Teachers of English) conference at New York University, which attempted to help educators respond to conservative criticism of educational pedagogical approaches and trends. Describes a small group experience. (TB)

At Mount Royal College (Alberta), the perceptions of enrolled college students are seen as an important part of academic program review, but identification of appropriate scheduling of meetings may be difficult. The solution found was to obtain faculty assistance in selecting students and to schedule focus groups as breakfast meetings, which…

Posttraumatic stress is an occupational hazard for certain high-risk groups such as personnel in emergency services, public safety, and disaster response. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) represents a structured group intervention designed for the mitigation of posttraumatic stress. Provides an introduction to and an overview of the CISD…

Playing make believe (metaphoric play) with elementary students can promote very real conversations about art. The paper explains how metaphoric play can help teach art. After collecting familiar art (posters, storybook art, etc.), the teacher creates reality-based scenarios to promote talk, then encourages students on to more far-fetched…

Presents the results of a study of two fifth-grade reading groups, one comprised of all girls and the other of mixed gender. Discusses results in a reflective essay format, suggesting that the group of girls was more emotional in their observations and the mixed group was more action and plot oriented. (TB)

Provides a number of reading and discussion exercises on issue-oriented questions (such as "overpopulation") that may be used for just about any level of English-as-a-Second-Language instruction. Suggests a role-play exercise in imitation of the television show "Dating Game." (TB)

The Merit Workshop Calculus Program, based on Treisman-style workshop calculus, was intended to address the problems of low success rates of students from underrepresented populations and the failure to retain these students in mathematics- and science-based majors. Concludes that the program had a positive impact for both genders and several…

Describes how multipoint desktop video conferencing (MDVC) is used in preservice teacher education programs in Singapore to enhance the professional development of student teachers by allowing them to share ideas, experiences, and teaching resources in real time with an audience wider than the schools in which they teach. Summative evaluations…

Discusses a strategy for teaching poetry to middle school students that requires the teacher to step back, listen, and let students talk. Notes the value of poetry as a vehicle for classroom discussion and the teacher's role in this discussion. Provides sample dialog and teaching experiences for several poems. (JPB)

Discusses activities, adaptable for elementary through high school levels, for learning about the people who work in local government and the programs local governments provide. Explains that the activities are useful starting points for project ideas that enlist the involvement of students, teachers, and local government officials. (CMK)

Details a functional and qualitative study of interactive oral and computer-mediated communication (CMC)-generated (Norton "Connect") peer response group talk and its influence on revision. Finds the interactive peer groups in both environments talked primarily about their writing; however, the talk had different qualities when students used…

Addresses the reasons for deciding to implement email discussions in a survey course on U.S. history. Discusses problems with email discussions, how the email discussions were implemented, and students' reactions. Includes the online discussion questions and select student responses. (CMK)