Force field analysis encourages members to examine the probability of reaching agreed-upon goals. It can help groups avoid working toward goals that are unlikely to be reached. In every situation are three forces: forces that encourage maintenance of the status quo or change; driving or helping forces that push toward change; and restraining…

USENET is a system of special interest discussion groups called newsgroups, to which readers can send or post messages which are then distributed to other computers in the network. A common network is the Internet, but other networks may carry USENET as well. There are thousands of newsgroups, with a wide range of conversations on topics such as…

There has been much discussion recently of the effect that gender and learning style have on student performance. Educators have attempted to develop new teaching and assessment strategies that accommodate a variety of learning styles, and both males and females are becoming more aware of gender-related traits and their relationship to classroom…

This study examines the role of discourse in the development of students' understandings of a rule for determining if a number is divisible by 8. The rule was suggested by a student in a seventh-grade mathematics class. Its validity was investigated in whole-class discussions that occurred on 3 consecutive days. In addition to making field notes…

Many people feel that the purpose of an education is to prepare students for life outside of school. To help reach this desire it has been suggested that students be allowed to experience and confront issues that they will experience later in their lives. This book confronts students with major issues in science that in many instances have created…

A study examined the claim that computer-mediated discussion groups, also known as "lists,""conferences," or "bulletin boards" in which individuals contribute electronically to an ongoing exchange of information and ideas within a field of common interest, affect participation by women. Examination of the claim was accomplished by analyzing…

This book is designed to provide practical guidance to persons acting as facilitators of community and decision-making groups. Examples, scenarios, real situations, and (where appropriate) research results are incorporated to illustrate all major points. In the introductory section, facilitation is discussed in a problem-solving and…

This program guide encourages discussion on the fundamental values on which the government's economic policies are based. This public talk series program is designed for the discussion of critical social and political issues through a balanced, nonpartisan presentation of a spectrum of views. The core of the program is consideration of four…

Questioning is one of the most popular modes of teaching, but it has the capacity to turn a child off to learning if done incorrectly. This digest provides teachers with information on the types of questions and questioning behaviors that can facilitate the learning process and on the types of questions that are ineffective. Good questions foster…

This paper presents a grounded theory study that developed an explanatory theory of influences on teachers' use of classroom discussion. This paper further suggests that grounded theory of this sort should be useful for studying the persistence of recitation under the guise of discussion and for improving instruction with classroom discussion.…

Preliminary efforts to operationalize more fully the concept of the instructional conversation (IC) approach for second language learning are reported, and an observational tool, the IC Rating Scale, is described in an examination of classroom-based reading comprehension lessons. Preliminary data on the reliability and validity of the IC scale are…

National Issues Forums (NIFs) were conducted for adult basic education (ABE) students in a Pennsylvania adult education and job training center. The forums provide a process of sharing thoughts and opinions about areas of pressing national concerns in an open exchange of everyone's opinion. After instructors participated in NIFs, they developed a…

Designed to improve the rigor and clarity of children's reasoning about ethical issues, this book provides a practical, down-to-earth, discussion-based approach to teaching ethics to fourth- through sixth-grade children. The book provides stories, lesson plans, questioning strategies, guidance on using children's books for ethics lessons, and a…

This program guide provides a forum for discussing the different beliefs that influence public policy about homelessness as well as policy goals. The central question is addressed in two parts: (1) what society ought to do for homeless people; and (2) laying out a range of possible answers for part 1. Four possible answers are discussed: help only…

James Berlin has idenitified three common ideological approaches in rhetoric in composition courses crucial to an understanding of how collaborative learning works in writing courses: the expressivist, cognitivist, and social-epistemic. One of the primary distinctions among these rhetorics is how the subject is perceived. In an expressionist or…