This report describes a program for introducing students to strategies for improving their comprehension of non-fiction materials. The targeted population consisted of students of one third grade class in a small, middle class suburb, northwest of a large, midwestern city. Difficulty reading and comprehending non-fiction material was documented…

Excessive drinking creates countless personal disasters, including job losses, bankruptcies, suicides, divorces, crimes, lost friendships, and ruined family life. Nearly 1 in 10 adults meets criteria for chronic alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction, and 1 in 4 Americans feels the pain caused by alcohol problems. How can a democratic society safely…

Common reading programs are becoming a ubiquitous component of first-year experience initiatives. Sometimes controversial, these programs are designed to provide students an introduction to the intellectual expectations of college in an often-informal gathering of college faculty and peers. Yet, truly dynamic and successful programs move beyond…

This study evaluated the relationship between psychological traits of campus-based undergraduate students and their preference for face-to-face (FtF) or computer-mediated communications (CMC), investigating the validity of transferring CMC instructional strategies from distance education to traditional classrooms. Thirty-eight students (80%) of…

This study examined the types of questions teachers are asking in their classrooms to help promote critical thinking. To do this, 12 teachers representing kindergarten through fifth grade were asked to tape record 3 reading lessons. The lessons were examined and a tally was taken as to the types of questions asked: lower-level or higher-level. The…

This report summarizes the activities of a day-long health focus forum held by the State Office of Head Start in Maine. Speakers and discussion groups focused on: (1) the importance of comprehensive early childhood health programs and the need for collaboration among health professionals; (2) the role of school health programs in meeting national…

A diverse body of educational research provides strong theoretical support for the development of higher order cognitive learning skills through case teaching. Case study teachers can improve their questioning skills to enhance students' critical thinking. The theoretical background for questioning in case method teaching and learning is traceable…

This book presents a collection of essays on building collaborative communities in which democratic principles of education may be recognized, focusing on learning and teaching through inquiry. After (1) "The Development of a Community of Inquirers" (Gordon Wells), there are three parts. Part 1, "Inquiries in the Elementary…

This paper describes a model that builds on the assumption that educators teaching foundations of education courses have a unique opportunity to model the democratic process and a moral responsibility to infuse the art of human conversation and self-transcendence into education. Exposure to such classes may encourage preservice teachers to go…

This paper argues that teacher knowledge is a necessary component in the development of new knowledge about teaching and learning. Teacher knowledge in collaboration with university partnerships that are engaged in the practice of intentional change coupled with reflective conversations that serve as an enhancement to ongoing, long-term…

This study investigated the use of various forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to support the formation of a knowledge-building community (KBC) in teacher education. A KBC involves students working in small and large groups to solve "real world" problems, and in the process develop skills of negotiation, communication, and…

This paper explores the ways in which the perception of a real-time classroom exchange serves as the conduit to a grander socially constructed conflict through the mediation of an asynchronous online listserve. The sample of 25 listserve messages was selected from a class of 191 undergraduate students in the lecture section of an introductory…

While most students in a secondary language arts methods course found writing and reading each other's critical literacy autobiographies interesting and helpful to their understanding of literacy, they struggled with how to respond to their classmates' autobiographies. That struggle emerged within a teacher inquiry project whose central question…

This is a book about the organization of teaching, the connections among the tasks of teaching and among the teachers themselves and about faculty motivation and commitment. Emphasis is placed on the following seven domains: (1) pedagogy; (2) research; (3) lecturing; (4) leading discussions; (5) mentoring; (6) curricular-cocurricular integration;…

Many experts agree that high-quality television can be an excellent supplement to active learning in the classroom and at home. This guide contains activities for children ages 3 to 6, each activity incorporating a theme or topic related to an episode of "Arthur," a Public Broadcasting System program for young children. Many of the…