Uses the Gregorc Style Delineator (1982) as the basis for translating learning style theory into the following developmental education teaching practices: teacher-led lesson presentations, student group discussions and projects, independent assignments, and testing situations. Notes that most of the ideas presented should also apply to other adult…

Defines active learning as students actively involved in the learning process. Suggests that to learn actively, students need to know their learning styles and engage with the subject matter. Concludes that students who know their learning styles and are allowed to choose time management methods, note-taking systems, textbook marking methods and…

Explores the inadvertently harmful effects of questioning and brain-storming but goes on to argue that these techniques can enhance pupil autonomy and motivation if properly used when such intentions are made clear. Includes some classroom management suggestions to facilitate the constructivist teaching approach and counteract the prevalence of…

Presents a teaching method that provides students with the necessary tools to analyze college-level poetry. Suggests that because reader response has greatly overplayed its corrective to "New Criticism," the HEI (Hypothesis-Experiment-Instruction) method of teaching literature could serve as a third choice among teachers interested in avoiding the…

Considers how using reading discussion groups with preservice teachers leads to greater comprehension and engagement. Outlines the structure used to involve students in independent reflection and group discourse about self-selected course readings. Describes a study of the effects of engaging students in structured small-group discussions about…

Presents guidelines for resolving conflicts between educators and parents. Participants should seek different perspectives, not "truths," consider the common ground, define an effective problem-solving procedure, adopt ground rules for discussion, address issues, identify interests and positive intentions, develop options, select arrangements, and…

Questions are so much a part of the classroom routine and they should stimulate learning and thinking. Introduces the Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking (QUILT) method which incorporates Bloom's Taxonomy and wait time. (ASK)

Explores the implications of literacy instruction aimed at "nourishing conversations" about life experiences in literacy classrooms. Emphasizes the sense that students made of their lives when they were allowed to raise their voices through literacy. Argues that curriculum in which adolescents are encouraged to investigate their life…

Investigates the nature of book discussions about expository and narrative texts in fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms. Notes that literary and informational topics were discussed most. Finds that teachers' questions posed during the expository discussion were more literal than for the narrative text. Provides useful information regarding…

Discusses the role of talk as a way of developing children's meaningful interactions with literary texts. Argues that where children are engaged in small group unstructured expressive talk, they are able to articulate affective responses to their reading which would otherwise remain dormant. Stresses the way that guided reading can encourage…

Research in the field of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is based on a wide variety of methodologies. In this paper, we focus upon content analysis, which is a technique often used to analyze transcripts of asynchronous, computer mediated discussion groups in formal educational settings. Although this research technique is often…

This classroom activity demonstrates the importance of question wording on surveys. In the activity, students compared data from 2 versions of a short questionnaire that differed only in the wording of the questions and the response scales. Class discussion focused on how wording affected the data and, consequently, how difficult it would be to…

Brainstorming may be the best-known tool for group idea generation and is widely taught in gifted and talented programs. Many empirical studies have been conducted regarding the effectiveness of brainstorming, and they have provided useful insights into the salient barriers facing groups who use this tool. Although a great deal of this literature…

In a clear-cut victory for campaign-finance reformers last December, a sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court upheld virtually the entire Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). McConnell v. FEC, No. 02-1674 (slip opinion available on the web at www.supremecourtus.gov). The Court's 298-page ruling rejected the free speech and other…

The difficulties teachers encounter when trying to promote high quality discussion among students undoubtedly contribute to the brevity and rarity of such discussions. Teachers report that discussions fail because only a few students have usually completed the necessary preparatory work for effective participation, because some students…