Discusses both the pedagogical arguments and the psycholinguistic rationale for small-group work in the second language classroom. Claims that the negotiation work possible in group actiity makes it an attractive alternative to the teacher-led discussion. Reviews research findings on interlanguage which generally support the claims made for group…

Intuitive ideas of probability are introduced through real-life situations. Discussion topics and activities are both included. (MNS)

Strongly confirmed the hypothesis that groups employing an interacting decision procedure would produce better decisions than groups employing procedures that are either nominal (Delphi) or "staticized" (individual judgments statistically pooled). Provides clear and consistent support for the value of social interaction in small group…

A language intervention model for language impaired adolescents is presented which rests on five general principles: (1) theoretical constructs, (2) student motivation, (3) counseling, (4) natural communication settings, and (5) group sessions. (CL)

A roundtable discussion of the issue of seat belts in school buses features United States Representative Peter H. Kostmayer, who has introduced a bill providing incentive grants to states to adopt and enforce laws requiring the use of seat belts in new school buses; three bus manufacturing executives; and two educators. (MLF)

Describes an exercise called "Building Blocks' that demonstrates the risky shift and polarization effects of small group discussion. (PD)

Teenagers discuss their sexual uncertainties and roles parents and television could play in enlightening them on sexuality. From parents, they would like honesty and support, and, from television, portrayals of strong women, emotional attachment, sexual attraction without glamor, connection between sex and pregnancy, and information on…

Describes a small group discussion project involving students and teachers in two large white suburban high schools. The project's intention was to focus discussion on the social quality of the relationship between students and teachers, and to assess the impact of the discussions on student perceptions. (Author/RK)

Use of peer correction of compositions in ESL classes improves writing skills and oral communication and reinforces understanding of principles. Four procedures outlined are whole class correction, immediate feedback and rewriting, seeking specific types of errors, and correction of modified and duplicated essays. (CHK)

This article describes Kid-to-Kid, a group discussion program that gives students a strong voice and lets them connect with their peers in an environment where it is safe to be honest, where feelings and thoughts can be expressed without fear of judgment, and where the teacher talks less than the students. Guidelines for starting such a program…

This collection of 14 articles aims to help teachers make the most of student discussion and inquiry in classrooms from middle school to high school to college. Contributors to the collection--secondary and college practitioners--offer theory-grounded, classroom-tested approaches for literature study in which students engage in democratic dialogue…

A study examined a form of other-initiated repair which occurs later than next turn, a form which is produced by nonnative speakers of English whose native language is Mandarin. Data consists of transcriptions of naturally occurring conversations from 12 native speaker-nonnative speaker (NS-NNS) dyads, friends who ordinarily chat. Conversational…

In "Rhetoric, Discovery and Change" (1970), R. Young, A. Becker, and K. Pike took Carl Rogers' empathetic approach out of the context of one-on-one therapy and put it into the writing classroom. They proposed the now standard formulaic structure of argumentation which emphasizes a strong thesis up front, a detailed account of the…

This paper describes the development of a framework to better understand how teachers think about and approach instructional practices. Over 1 year, researchers worked with teacher groups in 5 schools, exploring their perspectives, experiences, and understanding about teaching through observations, interviews, journals, and dialogues. The…

This study examined and described e-mail mediated instructional conversations conducted during a content area reading and writing course. Participants in the study included undergraduate students from three different content specialty areas, as well as an instructor who mediated the conversational interactions via e-mail communications.…