Offers "sure-fire" techniques for that rare occasion when writing teachers find themselves unprepared to discuss the essay they assigned their students to read. (SR)

Includes "The Internet: Where Few Trainers Have Gone Before" (Rubin); "The Attractions of the Internet" (Sorohan); and "Trainers' Network on the Net," a discussion of the Training and Development listserv (TRDEV-L) with its founder, David Passmore. (SK)

Presents tips for effective meetings in the following categories: premeeting preparation, group process, presenting views with impact, accentuating the positive, dealing with politics, and bringing closure. (SK)

Describes the three most active computerized discussion forums available to educational researchers on BITNET: the Educational Research List (ERL-L), the Education Policy Analysis List (EDPOLYAN), and the Educational Technology List (EDTECH). Lists nine other BITNET discussion groups of related interest. Addresses and access information are…

Provides six responses to the question,"What television series would you recommend for review and discussion in the classroom? Or what commercial videotape of a television program do you use?" (PRA)

Examines the structure of participants' conceptions of ideal group discussion procedures. Finds that about one-half of the participants favor a "reach-testing" procedure, one-fifth a linear procedure, one-fifth a procedure beginning with reach-testing and ending with a linear stage, and one-tenth beginning with a linear stage and ending with…

The Northern Progressive Union in Northern Nigeria saw adult education as an important component of emancipation. Its failures and successes illustrate for adult education today how effective collective enlightenment and fusion of education and political struggles are. (SK)

ORID is a structured questioning strategy including Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, and Decisional questions that has emerged as a successful adult teaching-learning technique. The ORID builds upon the tradition of the group discussion teaching method by including both the affective and cognitive domain and gives structure and substance to a…

Describes three group-processing activities used with youth or adults in adventure- and experiential-education settings. Includes target group, group size, time and space requirements, activity level, props needed, and instructions for group processing and reflection. Involves stimulating campfire discussion for various purposes, journal writing…

States that therapists need to take care of their own mental health in order to avoid burnout. Discusses the encouragement exchange, a group setting where therapists help each other deal with stress. Provides a case example. (MKA)

Examines the nature of discourse in which students talk with each other about what they think. Analyzes student-generated inquiry discussions in which students engage in extended student-student interactions without much intervention from the researcher. (Author/CCM)

For continuing education purposes, a group of 12-15 general practitioners held facilitated small-group discussions with experts. The groups provided practice-relevant topics, opportunity to compare practice patterns, and continuing education credits; they were motivating and effective. (SK)

One management class read a literary text and wrote answers to the teacher's questions. Another class discussed the text in small and large groups. Group discussion stimulated better and more creative insights than private reading. The teacher's questions inhibited responses. Discussion groups understood the relevance of literature to management;…

The shift toward emancipatory, dialogic teaching methods may subjugate rather than empower reticent students. Educators should use strategies to adapt their teaching to deal with shyness or communication anxiety. (SK)

Describes the use of leaderless group discussions and peer assessment in undergraduate classes to develop teamwork skills and the capacity for independent thought and action students will need on the job. (SK)