This book is a teacher development tool presenting information to help facilitate discussions of the cases found in a companion book. The introduction discusses the values of case-based instruction, organizing a case discussion group, introducing participants to case discussions, preparing for a case discussion, discussing a case, anticipating and…

In 1987, a sophomore level interdisciplinary Ethics and Values (EV) core course was implemented at Utah Valley Community College in Orem, serving as the humanities core among the liberal education requirements, a requirement for business students, a vital force in the nursing program, and a means to enrich the trade and technology courses. The…

A study investigated the organizational processes accessed during the composing process by elementary student writers whose teachers had been instructed by the Project READ/Inquiring School Initiative at the University of Pittsburgh in helping children develop organizational structures. Subjects were 28 fourth-grade students in the experimental…

A study analyzed the number and types of contributions that girls and boys made to a science discussion in a sixth-grade class. A 48-minute, student-centered cross-discussion was videotaped and analyzed. The exceptionally long discussion and the complexity of the topic (involving moving shadows and frames of reference) make the lesson a rich…

CNN Newsroom is a daily 15-minute commercial-free news program specifically produced for classroom use and provided free to participating schools. These Daily Classroom Guides support broadcasts of CNN Newsroom for January 1999. Each guide contains program rundowns for that day's broadcast, discussion activities, and links to external Web sites.…

Using cooperative learning techniques in writing classes requires the instructor to plan carefully and respond spontaneously to the assignment as students work through it. Steps using the techniques successfully include: (1) developing academic objectives for each step in the writing process (i.e., prewriting, drafting, revising, and proofreading…

The practicum reported in this document provided an alternative method of teaching vocabulary to students characterized as disabled readers. The method was a naturalistic approach of reading stories aloud to students, combined with guided discussions before, during, and after the reading to develop critical thinking skills. A target group of 11…

This study examined the interpersonal dynamics of participants in special education placement committees serving students with limited English proficiency. The theoretical and conceptual framework of Chris Argyris and Donald Schon was applied to interactions observed in simulated placement committee meetings. Individual decision making related to…

At a conference in 1988 the Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona) began the process that resulted in development of the Ocotillo Action/Research Groups to study the development of educational technologies in the community college setting. This year-end report presents the following reports of the various working groups, which summarize activities…

This document is part of series that seeks to help people think constructively about foreign policy issues, to improve citizen involvement, and to encourage debate on public issues. "Global Environmental Problems"; "The Human Factor in the Changing Environment"; "Public Policy and the Environment"; and "The U.S. Role in Global Environmental…

Traditional elementary statistics instruction for non-majors has focused on computation. Rarely have students had an opportunity to interact with real data sets or to use questioning to drive data analysis, common activities among professional statisticians. Inclusion of data gathering and analysis into whole class and small group activities…

In successfully establishing and having students complete group tasks within a cooperative learning framework, 14 essential elements must be present. The elements necessary for cooperative learning are: (1) a clear set of specific student learning outcome objectives; (2) all students in the group accept the targeted outcome; (3) clear and complete…

A study analyzed in detail one 37-minute classroom literature discussion to better understand how to foster students' critical reasoning. It investigated the characteristics of classroom interactions that support students in the process of responding to literature, the roles of the participants, and how the teacher can structure the tasks and use…

A sequentially planned program using quality circle techniques was adapted for the educational environment and Implemented in an elementary school in central Florida. The program consisted of 10 sessions designed to acquaint team leaders and administrators with the quality circle techniques and, under the direction of a trained facilitator, to…

A teacher looking back on an exciting and learning-packed year (in which she and her class participated in a research project on how students learn and think about literature) saw permanent change in herself and her students. The notions of "stances" and "scaffolding" forever changed the way the teacher planned her literature units. Watching and…