In an attempt to develop a widely applicable, practical means of reducing students' alienation from school, family, and community by increasing self-ideal congruence, encounter groups were offered as elective courses to 10th-grade students; results suggest limited positive results. (MM)

How to deal with profanity and other unacceptable language in the classroom is a subject all of us deal with daily. And, if the problem isn't handled sensitively, it can be explosive. Presents a few practices that seem to reduce the incidence of profane language in the classroom. (Author/RK)

Suggests teaching techniques which make class discussion more relevant to social studies instruction on the secondary level. Problem-solving, adversarial, and moral discussion structures are described. (Author/DB)

Describes discussion group activities which foster student interaction. (DD)

Examines the effect of communication media on group processes and the consequent effect of processes on group cohesiveness, satisfaction, and productivity using mediated regression analysis. Supports previous findings about group outcomes by showing that communication media groups expressed lower cohesiveness than did face-to-face groups. (AEF)

Describes a three-step process of description, interpretation, and evaluation intended to empower students in visual communication classes to examine and critique their work in a self-directed way. Offers a framework for directing the discussion of student work through directed questioning. (SR)

This group of classroom tips discusses the benefits of peer coaching, peer group conversation about teachers' classroom experiences, using visual displays for collegial sharing, using cultural brokers in educational settings, and the role of picture books in developing literacy skills in diverse students with disabilities. (Author/CK)

Presents one aspect that makes mathematics the final word in many discussions, the ideology of certainty. Argues that one way of challenging the ideology of certainty is to change classroom practice by introducing a landscape of discussion on chaotic nature where relativity, provisional starting points, different points of view, and uncertainty…

Presents an activity for students to investigate equal parts and area and the connection between area and fractions. Highlights the importance of such a lesson in which children explore rich mathematical ideas, share their thinking and their work with one another, and make connections to other mathematical ideas. (ASK)

Outlines current ideas about the use of focus groups in library and information science and considers advantages and disadvantages of different types of focus group discussions. Discusses reasons for choosing this research method. (AEF)

The author tells how he began storytelling to teen audiences, how fairy tales were originally geared toward adult audiences, and highlights some of his favorites. Violent, gory, and humorous stories appeal to teens but invoke discussion and promote reading. Provides a list of storytelling hints and finding, learning, and practicing the story. (LAM)

Describes a strategy to incorporate interactive and cooperative methods into oral reports of term papers. Introduces fresh perspectives into the subject of discussion and sparks new interests on the part of the students. (JRH)

Describes a demonstration which creates the illusion of violating Archimedes Principle. The procedure involves two liquids with identical densities and produces drops of one liquid suspended in the middle of a column of the second liquid. (DDR)

Describes the use of electronic mail discussion lists for students in science methods courses as an attempt at ensuring that preservice teachers are able to use electronic educational technology in teaching science. (JRH)

Explores connections to be made between literature and life by using "Cinderella" as an occasion for classroom drama and personal discussion. Explains how the instructor assumes the role of a reporter as students tell their own Cinderella stories. (TB)