The use of online learning is prevalent in higher education, in particular the use of Blackboard and other similar virtual learning environments (VLEs). Students' participation in online discussion forums is a common activity and the online threaded discussion tool provides opportunities for students to: (1) form collaborative groups for…

Magic is exciting, but dangerous. David Copperfield explained "of all the performers on stage, no one courts disaster, no one flirts with danger as much as the magician." On October 3, 2003, Siegfried and Roy experienced that danger firsthand when Roy was attacked by one of his tigers while performing before a live audience. This tragic event can…

Electronic communication is a powerful tool teachers can leverage to improve learning. In this article, the authors explain how they used chat and discussion forums to improve their mathematics classes, and how others can adapt their strategies across the curriculum.

This study investigated the following question: To what extent and in what ways might using video help interns reflect on their discussion-based teaching in a more complex manner than when they use memory-based written reflection? Three elementary interns participated in the study. Findings suggest that video-supported reflection enabled interns…

Discussion-based teaching has long been recognized as a way to promote civic engagement. However, increasing the amount and quality of student talk in social studies classrooms has proven very difficult in practice. This article's purpose is to show how teachers can design a discussion to increase student involvement. A well-designed discussion…

Concept cartoons are cognitive drawings or "visual disagreements" that use a cartoon-style design to present mathematical conversations inside speech bubbles. The viewpoints portrayed are all different and it is this difference that acts as a catalyst for further conversations, as learners talk together to discuss their thinking. They make…

Currently there is a scarcity of information in the art education literature about purchasing art. This article examines how art acquires economic and social value, as well as how consumers make decisions when purchasing a piece of art. Where does an art student, or the general public learn about buying art? How much, if any, of this process is…

Students' learning about the nature of science (NOS) consists of two related aspects that include their understandings of and ability to apply science processes, and their beliefs about NOS. To help students develop such understandings, the New Society activity gets them talking to each other about science, using the language of science such as…

This article explores the use of classroom video as a tool for fostering productive discussions about teaching and learning. The setting for our research is a 2-year mathematics professional development program, based on the Problem-Solving Cycle model. This model relies on video from the teachers' own classrooms and emphasizes creating a…

This booklet is a practical tool designed to help bring about small-group discussions between religious congregations. (Study circles are democratic, small-group discussions in which citizens share their experiences, analyze the problems in their communities, and come up with ideas on how to resolve them.) The guide is organized in two parts. The…

A teacher seminar focusing on children's thinking is reviewed. The seminar operates in teachers' homes and emphasizes group discussion and exchange of experiences. (DS)

The use of literature offers one way of achieving some distance from the disturbing subject of sexual identity, enabling a group to deal with the topic with some degree of dispassion, and facilitating open and productive communication between men and women. (Author)

Distinguishes between explicative, formative, and exploratory rational discourse in both value-free and value-laden teacher-student discussions. Exemplifies implications and indications for the use of each. (AL)

Described and discussed is a teaching aid for use in small group communication which enalbes the instructor to provide a student with immediate feedback without interrupting the discussion in progress. (LS)