Looks at some studies of expressed response after reading and of the process of response while reading. Attempts to demonstrate some current research directions and possibilities in response to literature. (Author/RK)

An attempt was made to ascertain some of the main differences in attitudes towards school between offenders and non-offenders, specifically school-oriented pupils, nonchalant pupils and anti-school pupils attending comprehensive schools in high delinquency areas. (Author/RK)

Suggests that the small discussion group technique is a research method that journalism departments could use to a greater advantage and details the results of one such study, performed at the University of Texas at Austin Center for Communication Research. (KS)

States that inclusion of a workable way to use conversation in the discussion of texts would help integrate Stanley Fish's notions of "interpretive communities" and pedagogical theory concerning "multiple intelligences" into classroom instruction. Describes the "Touchstones Project," designed by St. John's College…

A study examined the ability of six children (ages 8-12) with specific language impairment to participate in a group negotiation task. Each child interacted with two peers to select toys that children their age would enjoy. Subjects produced significantly fewer utterances than peers chronologically similar in age and language ability. (Author/CR)

Reproduces a poem about an urban landscape by Jayne Cortez and reflects on how students are willing to tackle its complexities and its ideas about beauty. Finds that the poem is effective for a discussion of beauty among students. (PA)

Offers practical ideas to make meetings more effective. Stresses the importance of planning and describes the following three types of meetings: information, brainstorming, and decision making. Notes components of successful meetings: an agenda, facilitator, timekeeper, recorder, and effective communication and conflict management skills. Suggests…

Addresses ways of developing a curriculum of caring that helps students connect themselves to others in ever-widening circles of understanding. Describes how, through reading and discussing Walter Dean Myers'"Fallen Angels" and Oleg Yermakov's "Afghan Tales: Stories from Russia's Vietnam," students come to see two unpopular…

Examines changes in disciplinary identity demonstrated in the discourse of several Internet discussion groups and suggests the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to address digital storage and retrieval problems. Highlights include the culture of intellectual disciplines and the organization of knowledge; the culture of the Internet; and…

Describes the technique of exploding an oxygen-hydrogen balloon using two balloons and having students observe the formation of water droplets. Suggests that the Socratic Method can be used to start discussions related to stochiometry, states of matter, and gas laws. (DDR)

Investigates how Greek secondary school students interacted in pairs and fours while discussing and attempting to explain physical phenomena. Results indicate that students progressed significantly more in their physics reasoning after participation in fours than in pairs. Discourse analysis in different groupings suggests that differences were…

Examines the transition from a single conversation to two conversations in a group larger than three by focusing on three distinctive properties of the schisming-inducing turn (SIT): (1) the changes in recipiency structure; (2) the sequence-structural properties of the SIT and its uptake; and (3) the topical properties of the SIT. (61 references)…

A brainstorming variation used with discussion sections of a large class has students write ideas on Post-It notes, which can then be prioritized, categorized, sequenced, and grouped as needed, easily and quickly. The technique is useful for building thesis-writing skills, stimulating creation of a visual body of evidence, and encouraging…

Uses John Dewey to talk about a tendency among educators to indulge in either/or thinking or to label such-and-such an approach as "traditional" or "progressive." Suggests that this kind of thinking subverts meaningful dialogue and thoughtful analysis. (TB)

Describes a series of matrix choice games that illustrate for students the concepts of monopoly, shared monopoly, Cournot, Bertrand, and Stackelberg behavior given either perfect complements or perfect substitutes. Suggests that the use of the games also allows for student dialogue about international trade and price wars. (JEH)