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In this webinar, Dr. Sarah Catherine K. Moore, Program Director at the Center for Applied Linguistics, outlined factors for content area teachers to consider as they design and deliver lessons for mainstream classrooms that include English learner (EL) students. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Dr. Moore following the webinar. The webinar recording and PowerPoint presentation are also available online. Links are provided in the document.

There are obvious differences between face-to-face instruction and learning and online instruction and learning. Although collaboration and community building do occur in the campus classroom, as does active learning, it is imperative in an online class. Students today will reluctantly attend classes that consist entirely of faculty lectures and tests. Constructivist strategies are foundational to the suggestions provided here that will enhance collaboration and community building in online classes.

This article consists of the second part of an interview with John Sole and David Schrader on the Redesign of the High Schools in Philadelphia: Integrating Project Project-Based Learning and the Architectural Process January 2006. The first segment examined the work of educator John Sole. He emphasizes an active, self-directed project-based, collaborative approach where cooperative learning strategies are favored over traditional, lecture-oriented, discipline-focused, teacher-centered instruction. John explains that collaborative, Project-Based Learning is a pedagogy that prepares students for the real world through an active process that teaches critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, negotiation skills, consensus building, technology, and responsibility for one's own learning. In this second in a series on Getting REAL, John Sole discusses an unprecedented project that links education and architecture in a unique way by directly influencing the redesign of high schools in the School District of Philadelphia. John Sole has teamed up with educational architect David Schrader in the redesign of two urban schools with the intent of changing the way schools are planned and designed. Participation in design, whether adult or child, has often been one of manipulation and tokenism. Post-occupancy evaluations and assessments rarely involve children and young adults. Fortunately, two adults, John Sole and David Schrader, have the courage to open up the design process--to make it REAL for students--those who are most affected by the designed environment. This interview article explores a current project that connects student learning with school design in a unique way.

The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement invited Ann Chafin to share her thoughts and ideas about sustaining school reform. Chafin, chief of Program Improvement and Family Support Branch of the Maryland State Department of Education, was a speaker at the annual Institute for CSR State Coordinators held May 9-10 in Washington, D.C. The Center sponsored the two-day event for coordinators to explore ways to create and maintain high-quality CSR programs as well as sustain comprehensive reform over time, and to make connections with other school improvement efforts. The nine hard things to do in order to sustain school reform identified are: (1) It is easy to gather data; hard to use data; (2) It is easy to have volunteers; hard to have real parent involvement; (3) It is easy to do staff development; hard to develop staff; (4) It is easy to focus on teaching; hard to focus on learning; (5) It is easy to remediate; hard to accelerate; (6) It is easy to direct and manage; hard to lead; (7) It is easy to make a testimonial; hard to conduct an evaluation; (8) It is easy to assign blame; hard to solve problems; and (9) It is easy to talk about "those kids;" hard to talk about "our kids." [This document was produced by The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, administered by Learning Point Associates in partnership with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) and WestEd, under contract with the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education.]

The instruction that we provide, the intellectual climate that we create, and the policy decisions that we make should all start with the question, "But will it improve students' learning?" Basic to any answer is the state of our knowledge about learning. A spate of recent research has resulted in comprehensive and lengthy reviews of surveys of research on student learning; the current model for coping with this information explosion is ever-tighter syntheses and distillations. These "principles" could in turn be summarized as a grand meta-principle that might say something like this: "What we know about student learning is that students who are actively engaged in learning for deeper understanding are likely to learn more than students not so engaged." However, what we already know from our own experience, as both learners and teachers, is that people have to find their own answers by working though the pathways to knowledge. Telling people what the "experts" know is not likely to result in the kind of deeper learning that we want to encourage. If we are to take learning seriously, we need to know what to look for (through research), to observe ourselves in the act of lifelong learning (self-reflection), and to be much more sensitively aware of the learning of the students that we see before us everyday. At present, I think we are prone to consider research findings as the "conclusion" of our investigations into learning. We might do better to think of them as the start of our investigations.

The author of this paper submits that humans have a natural inquisitiveness; hence, mathematicians (as well as other humans) must be active in learning. Thus, we must commit to conjecture and prove or disprove said conjecture. Ergo, the purpose of the paper is to submit the thesis that learning requires doing; only through inquiry is learning achieved, and hence this paper proposes an archetype of mathematical thought such that the experience of doing a mathematical argument is the reason for the exercise along with the finished product; and, that the nature of mathematical thought is one that can be characterised as thought through inquiry that relies on inquiry though constructive scepticism. To opine mathematical thought is rooted in a disconnected incidental schema where no deductive conclusion exists or can be gleaned is to condemn the field to a chaotic tousle; whereas, to opine that it is firmly entrenched in a constricted schema which is stagnant, simple, and compleat is to deny its dynamic nature. So, mathematical thought must be focused on the process of deriving a proof, constructing an adequate model of some physical or latent occurrence, or providing connection between and betwixt the two. The two aforementioned ideas, the theoretical and practical are further convoluted by the seemingly axiological contrarians of experiential process and final product. The experiential process and final product cannot be disconnected. Thus, to paraphrase John Dewey, the ends and the means are the same. The paper is organised in the following manner. In the first part of the paper the author gives a synopsis of the major philosophical influences of the thesis: Idealism, Realism, and Pragmatism. In the second part the author argues that the four basic ideas of mathematical thought, Platonism, Logicism, Formalism, and Intuitionism, all share the aspects of "constructive scepticism" which forms the core of the author's argument regarding the nature of mathematical thought. In the third part of the paper the author submits that the single most important feature of mathematics that distinguishes it from other sciences is "positive scepticism." What binds and supports mathematics is a search for truth, a search for what works, and a search for what is applicable within the constraints of the demand for justification. It is not the ends, but the means which matter the most--the process at deriving an answer, the progression to the application, and the method of generalisation. These procedures demand more than mere speculative ideas; they demand reasoned and sanguine justification. Furthermore, "positive scepticism" (or the principle of "epoikodomitikos skeptikistisis") is meant to mean demanding objectivity; viewing a topic with a healthy dose of doubt; remaining open to being wrong; and, not arguing from an a priori perception. Hence, the nature of the process of the inquiry that justification must be supplied, analysed, and critiqued is the essence of the nature of mathematical enterprise: knowledge and inquiry are inseparable and as such must be actively pursued, refined, and engaged. Finally, the author argues that not only is constructive scepticism an epistemological position as to the nature of mathematics, but it is also an axiological position for it is a value-judgement that inquiry into the nature of mathematics is positive. So, this paper proposes a philosophical position that deviates from both a disconnected incidental schema (usually termed phenomenological, hermeneutical, or constructivistic schema) and a constricted schema (usually termed traditionalistic schema). We should acknowledge that conditional truth can be deduced, recognise the pragmatic need for models and approximation, and the author suggests that such is based on the experience of doing rather than witnessing. (Contains 5 footnotes.)

Generally speaking, reading is not taught beyond the third grade in most school systems. If a student has not mastered reading comprehension skills by the fourth grade, chances are that she/he will struggle with learning in grades four through twelve. Many middle school and high school students lack the ability to use communication skills effectively for the purpose of learning. This paper discusses "MAX" (Motivation, Acquisition, and eXtension) teaching with reading and writing: a rationale and a method. Before discussing MAX teaching, the paper presents an "anticipation guide," a type of worksheet which quizzes teachers on how students learn most effectively. It then discusses "embedded curriculum," in which learning skills are taught in conjunction with course content. The paper states that the essential goal of teachers who use the MAX teaching framework is to level the playing field by raising the bar for all students, which involves creating a classroom environment that provides instruction in building skills to enable improved performance, while at the same time engaging all students in active learning from textbooks and other forms of textual matter. It explains each of the steps of MAX teaching and considers how frequently teachers should use MAX. The paper concludes by outlining how to prepare teachers to use MAX. (Contains 15 references.) (NKA)

This document discusses how service learning has developed over the past century in its practices from involvement in volunteerism to active civic engagement. It is so beneficial to both learners and the community that many educators and government leaders believe it should be a required component in the educational career of all students. The findings from a study about Service Learning and Problem-Based Learning concluded that student and teacher motivation substantially increased when combining Problem Based Learning (PBL) with Service Learning in the Communication classroom. Reciprocity of motivations exists between the teacher and her/his students. Students' communication skills improve, having successfully engaged in collaborative writing, speaking, and listening processes, and public speaking opportunities and additionally students report transfer of communication skills to other settings. The data shows that this process causes students to move through all five levels of Bloom's (1964) Affective Taxonomy. By combining two pedagogies, students met or exceeded cognitive learning outcomes. It is important to understand the critical role of the teacher in combing the two pedagogies effectively because the immersion of the teacher in the student endeavors makes him/her a stakeholder in the project's outcomes. (MZ)

A comparative study of early school leaving in India, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States found that in spite of huge cultural and economic differences between these countries, there were common underlying causes of the school dropout problem. Economic need, sociocultural divisions, curricula that were unrelated to future work and life, norm-referenced systems of education, and ineffective schools created student disaffection that resulted in out-of-school youth in all four countries. However, several aspects of the problem provide potential opportunities for sharing ideas and solutions between the countries in this study. First, in each country, the roots of disaffection from school appeared to be embedded in poverty and students' need for economic security. Schools can foster individual empowerment by developing critical awareness and self-reliance. The second area for cross-fertilization is school community collaboration. Early identification of at-risk students is a third area. Minority populations were under-served in all four countries. Intervention requires a reversal of negative teacher perceptions of minority children and promotion of the value of education in their communities. Curriculum revision is a fourth possibility. More practical, life-related, and vocational/technical curricula with an emphasis on literacy are important. A fifth area is the cultivation of effective teaching practices such as cultural awareness, communication skills, and active teaching methods. The final area for international cooperation is in the development of teaching resources. (Contains 58 references.) (TD)

As part of a larger project investigating educational reform for democracy, 2 teachers and 34 students at 3 high schools in eastern Slovakia wrote down their opinions of the Roma (gypsies). The papers were classified as negative (N=20), neutral (N=14), and positive (N=2). Promoting democratic tolerance can be difficult, given the deeply held and primarily negative attitudes towards the Roma. Currently, students are required to take citizenship education courses in upper elementary and secondary school. However, students' school experience is the "memorize and regurgitate the knowledge" approach to education. Active teaching and learning processes are intended to promote tolerance, among other things, but Slovakia's curriculum is only slowly changing. When a cultural group devalues reading and writing as much as the Roma appear to do, and when schools operate under the assumption that literacy is knowledge, both oral knowledge and the culture of a people are devalued at the same time. To have a democracy, both Roma and Slovak alike should experience each other's approach. Bridging that gap could prove difficult in light of the entrenched prejudicial nature of Slovak views toward the Roma. On the other hand, the fact that there are times when Slovaks interact with "good Gypsies" suggests a promising direction for the future. It will take hard work on the part of Slovak educators, but the potential rewards that could ensue from such positive interactions would make that hard work worthwhile. (TD)

There has been a quiet revolution growing in schooling in many parts of the developing world, particularly at the primary level. These mostly successful radical alternatives are little known among educators and scholars of education. In many cases, children who are considered the hardest to reach and teach accomplish curricular objectives not achieved in traditional formal schools. These programs also demonstrate that, contrary to popular belief, teachers are not obstacles to change but are the change agents. These teachers manage to develop or change their practice so fundamentally that they produce large learning gains among children thought to be unteachable. These successful change programs typically spread not by a centrally planned and mandated reform plan but by teachers learning from other teachers and sharing their personal practical knowledge and skills with each other. Administrative leadership often plays a critical role in these programs, but it differs from the traditional model in that it enables teacher learning and teacher-driven change, rather than controlling and regulating teaching. The question that arises is, how have these successes actually occurred in each case, given the history of failed attempts at large-scale educational reform? Four figures are presented as a preliminary effort to develop a useful set of categories for comparative analysis of these cases. It is hoped that they will be used to design a long-term research program that will enable us to avoid repeating past failures. (Contains 30 references.) (TD)

According to Kasulis, a class discussion has three dimensions: content, process, and people. Though content is an obvious element that is usually thoroughly researched, process can be problematic for many teachers. Some students tend to dominate, while others disengage, and the discussion often wanders. These problems can be alleviated with planning and structure. The article suggests creating a structure that is flexible enough to take advantage of unexpected events, but structured enough to accomplish the goals. By taking the personalities, strengths, and needs of the people in the course into consideration, the teacher can personalize the classroom discussion. This article uses basketball as a metaphor for developing learning-centered classroom discussion. It also refers to recent research findings that indicate the brain is developed through the constant activity of making neural connections and eliminating connections that are seldom or never used. The task of the educator is to provide the conditions conducive to brain growth and the building of learning capacity, in the same way an athletic coach helps students to build physical strength. The paper offers tips and techniques for promoting learning-centered discussion in the classroom. (Contains 19 references.) (NB)

This paper asserts that a modern elementary classroom, in which broadly based international perspectives are fostered and global understanding realized, is one in which the teacher, as a co-learner in the experience, is prepared to negotiate and exchange power with students. The paper explores how this shift in teaching philosophy toward active learning may be a requisite next stage in the evolution of the teaching of social studies. Brief descriptions of active learning in classrooms in Italy and England conclude the paper. (EV)

Research on how the brain works has resulted in wider-scale adoption of the principles of problem-based learning (PBL) in many areas of education, including technology education. The PBL approach is attractive to curriculum developers because it is based on interdisciplinary learning, results in multiple outcomes, is integrated and competency-based, and emphasizes metacognitive or higher-order skills and real-life perspectives. The educational objectives of PBL are as follows: (1) develop a systematic approach to solving real-life problems using higher-order skills; (2) acquire an extensive integrated knowledge base that can be recalled and flexibly applied to other situations; (3) develop effective self-directed learning skills; (4) develop the attitudes and skills necessary for effective teamwork with others on a task or problem; (5) acquire a lifelong habit of approaching problems with initiative and diligence and a drive to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for an effective resolution; and (6) develop habits of self-reflection and self-appraisal. A model of PBL has been proposed that includes a nine-step self-directed procedure for approaching a problem, a resource critique, reassessment of the problem, summary and integration of what has been learned, and evaluation. PBL can be used in areas of technology education such as communication, manufacturing, transportation, and construction. (MN)

Key concepts about best practices of curriculum design and program development for outdoor youth programs are discussed. These include: agreeing on curriculum criteria and coming to consensus on a balance between content and process skills; using experiential teaching modes; and pursuing youth-adult partnerships for community change. There is not a wealth of materials on boating, fishing, and environmental stewardship available in the national 4-H curriculum collections, but many states and counties are using local materials. This presents a key opportunity for partnerships to evolve. Researchers need to engage youth and adults in research-related activities defining best practices in: implementing youth-adult partnerships in diverse communities; engaging community-based youth-adult partnerships in creating their own experiential-based curricula; implementing interactive technology-based learning in community organizations; defining strategies for a community-youth development framework that creates community change; and developing an international version of this framework. Nonprofit organizations could work with youth development researchers and practitioners to create a sustainable grassroots movement that mobilizes youth and adult partners to conserve and restore our nation's aquatic natural resources by getting involved in boating and fishing. This lofty goal combined with integrating research and practice on youth-adult partnerships, experiential learning strategies, and the community youth development movement will help develop a sustainable learning community that brings about lasting change in how communities deal with issues related to boating, fishing, and environmental stewardship. (Contains 28 references.) (TD)

This paper argues for peer evaluation of writing, in addition to peer editing, for a complete student-centered learning experience. The proposed peer evaluation model addresses three shortcomings of the current writing class model: (1) instructor workload; (2) the problem of students' writing for an audience of one; and (3) the problem of students' editing each others' work without having first internalized the qualities of good writing. In this model, students submit their papers anonymously to a quality evaluator team in another class. The team uses descriptive words to categorize the papers: "needs work,""on target," and "exceeds expectations." The team works from a scoring rubric to determine the category into which the paper falls. During discussion sessions, dissent is encouraged if a student feels strongly that the rest of the group is misjudging an essay. The teacher's goal in employing peer review is to wean the team from his input as the semester progresses, all the while checking on each team's standards to make sure they are all similar. This method of evaluation has resulted in a reduction in the number of contested grades, in addition to the students' internalization of an idea of quality writing. The act of evaluating becomes a learning experience for the students, with the teacher making in-class comments on essay quality during the evaluation process. Thus, the entire process takes place within the classroom. (NB)

Using the metaphor of a river to describe continuous and lifelong learning, this paper details an action research project aimed at developing effective learning environments in a large, distributed organization called Thiess Contractors Proprietary Limited, an Australian mining and construction company. Two major outcomes of the project are described. Described first is the work activity briefing, a sharing of critical information by all participants on a work project. Out of the briefing dialogue is produced a document signed by all participants that serves as a project "blueprint" and identifies the activities, parties involved, actions required of them, and roles and responsibilities of the parties. Second, the Frontline Management Initiative that extended the training boundary is described. The authors explain how a group of workers, who identified their position in relation to their colleagues and found they needed to advance their individual and collective knowledge and skills to keep up, developed a program in which they had control of the methods, input, rate of activity, and agenda. The final section of the paper emphasizes the critical importance of the learner in all aspects of the learning process. (Contains 20 references.) (YLB)

Our increasingly knowledge-based economy and business enterprises depend on education to produce experts who combine knowledge with depth of understanding. Current teaching methods produce students with superficial verbal and technical knowledge, but who may lack the insight of experts. To become experts, learners must have the opportunity to be active and independent. Independent learning can be fostered by an institutional environment characterized by freedom and order, not leading; by problem, not result orientation; by cooperation, not competition. Institutions can create barriers to deeper understanding through the forms of their organization, and assumptions about learning and assessment. Distance education institutions may 'expect independence' (the institution controls the aims and process of learning; teachers are results- and competition-oriented) or 'further independence' (the student is actively involved in developing his or her own program of studies; the institution provides advisors and resources to support the learner). Students who experience institutions that 'further independence' will demonstrate greater motivation, better understanding, more strongly integrated knowledge, and greater creative potential. (Both German and English language versions are provided. There are 54 references.) (YLB/CG)

Based on the fact that the individual human mind is limited, conceptual frameworks and innovative systems in support of social interaction are a necessity rather than a luxury for the future information society. Conceptual frameworks need to be grounded in distributed cognition. Because "a group has no head," collaboratively constructed and evolved information repositories are of critical importance to support shared understanding, negotiation, critiquing, and organizational learning. Derived from this conceptual framework, requirements for computational environments supporting social interactions are identified. Specific environments (for example, domain-oriented design environments and organizational memories) illustrate the challenges of creating open, evolvable systems and of contextualizing information. These implications for social interaction are derived from the conceptual framework and the systems and include the need to allow users to be designers and active contributors, the importance of understanding the social and motivational issues, and the new conceptualizations of the World Wide Web. (Appendixes include a selected glossary and list of 27 references.) (YLB)

When competing with mass media and other forms of information delivery, a verbal lecture does not have enough sensory impression. What students read in a passive framework is barely remembered, less so in pre-examination cramming. Weaker students have difficulties in reading, most notably with abstract and mathematical concepts. These problems are magnified in computer graphics, where mathematical expressions/structures and programming projects may prove too formidable. In this paper, active learning models are applied to computer graphics. Lectures are augmented in real time with student activities, inquiry-based reasoning, and other methods of initiating student contribution to the learning experience. This approach promotes a more comprehensive, deeper, and more memorable understanding of the theory, principles, and methodologies of computer graphics. A progression of such activities is presented as they are applied in the course. Six figures illustrate the text. Contains 14 references. (AEF)

Employers have looked to postsecondary schools as a source of trained workers, including graduates of both vocational and general education programs. Fifty-four successful and effective community college programs focus on innovative strategies for meeting current and future work force developments and requirements. The partnership programs begin with School to College and continue to College to College and Community Colleges, Businesses, and Agencies. Private Industry Councils (PIC) are now an instrument of a marketplace that demands more efficient allocation of the labor force. PICs are generally referred to work force development boards who represent stakeholders and providers of local work force programs based on specific needs of the business community. Schools need to cultivate critical thinking and provide an environment for understanding the changing environment and what will be required of the 21st century economy. Schools should focus on active learning, acquiring methods or processes of solving problems, relevant learning, and meeting community needs. (Contains 10 references.) (YLB)

Teaching and learning in the traditional classroom continues to evolve in the presence of technological innovation. This paper highlights basic strategies in which the traditional classroom can be modified to involve students more actively in the teaching and learning process. One of the strategies outlined in this paper includes the incorporation of a class Web site, electronic mail, and/or a class mailing list. These technological devices aid in opening and increasing the lines of communication between students and the instructor. Another strategy includes requiring the use of presentation software and word processing applications, which in turn helps students gain additional technological skills, while overcoming a fear of using computers. Group and collaborative learning, another strategy for producing active student involvement, can be encouraged through student presentations of work to the class, written journals, course portfolios, and writing assignments. These group and collaborative learning experiences can enhance students' level of improvement in writing, critical thinking, and college survival skills. Using these strategies in course design can also assist students in overcoming their struggles with difficult course material. Finally, such course design strategies help to ensure that students are more actively engaged in the learning process. (KP)

Noting that literature on higher education instruction is sparse on the topic of class and course endings, this paper provides advice on how to successfully end individual classes and semester-long courses in ways that maximize learning and minimize discomfort. Based on this literature and a discussion the authors initiated through online computer mailing lists and in "The Teaching Professor," the paper assembles a large number of ideas for ending classes and courses. Considered first are the solutions to the poor social dynamics between instructors and students that usually occur at the end of class. The paper suggests student-centered activities for the end of class such as one-minute papers, think-pair-share, KWL, and metacognition. Second, the paper looks at ways to improve student-student interaction at the end of class, an issue studied most by those who use cooperative learning but one that is also relevant in traditional lecture-oriented classrooms. The paper also considers problems at the end of a course for which there are creative solutions that also have not been well-publicized, such as having the students write a letter at least three months after the course or telling the instructor "one thing they learned (in the course) which they have used." Contains 27 references. (RS)

This paper clarifies the differences between collaborative and cooperative learning by presenting the author's definitions of the two terms, reviewing those of other authors who have helped clarify his thinking, and presenting and analyzing the educational benefits of collaborative/cooperative learning techniques. It states that collaborative learning (CL) is a personal philosophy, not just a classroom technique. The underlying premise of collaborative learning is based upon consensus building through cooperation by group members, in contrast to competition in which individuals best other group members. Cooperative learning is defined by a set of processes which help people interact together in order to accomplish a specific goal or develop an end product that is usually content specific. It is more directive than a collaborative system of governance and closely controlled by the teacher. While there are many mechanisms for group analysis and introspection, the fundamental approach is teacher centered, whereas collaborative learning is more student centered. The paper presents questions teachers ask from cooperative and collaborative learning perspectives. It then discusses options in cooperative learning by presenting a table that displays a number of issues in education: student-centered/teacher-centered; intrinsic/extrinsic motivation; knowledge construction/knowledge transmission; and loose, "trusting-students-to-do"/"structure-it-right: social engineering." The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these issues. Contains 12 references. (RS)

An inquiry approach to learning is a process whereby students explore, investigate, search for information, discover and seek solutions without much guidance from the teacher in an open classroom environment. Inquiry teaching is not the only method that can be used in the classroom. Unlike other instructional methods, inquiry does involve students more actively inside and outside the classroom. Learning is viewed as an active endeavor which involves the teacher as facilitator, the learner as capable and self motivated. This paper aims to discuss the process of inquiry: (1) its philosophical and psychological basis; (2) its goals and assumptions; and (3) the nature of learning, learners, and teachers. The paper examines briefly the importance of evaluation in the inquiry method and lists its strengths and weaknesses in classroom instruction. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/BT)

Postmodernism is a concept that is still emerging into the cultural dialogue and slowly contributing to the changing notions about educational processes. Through an original interpretation and multimedia presentation of a classic children's story, "The Three Little Pigs (Revisited)," three such developing notions--learner-initiated learning, the construction of narrative beds (narrative learning), and the power of metaphors--are illustrated and investigated. How instructional technologies fit into the emerging postmodern theory of curriculum is also addressed. (Author)

This paper suggests that students and their learning should become the focus of everything that college faculty do, examining what is currently known about student learning and where this knowledge comes from. Two large volumes have been published on what is known about student learning in college. A distillation of what is known can be extracted from research on: seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education; three critical conditions for excellence; and nine strategies for improving student learning. The seven principles of good practice emphasize: student-faculty contact; student cooperation; active learning; prompt feedback; time on task; high expectations; and respect for diverse talents and ways of knowing. In order to know how students learn, it is essential to find out what makes them tick. Research should become the working partner of both personal experience with learning and focused conversations about learning with colleagues. Faculty must know what to look for (through research), observe themselves participating in lifelong learning (self-reflection), and be much more aware of students' learning. A powerful advantage of using research findings to start conversations about learning is that it is a way to involve faculty and administrators actively in learning. (Contains 18 references.) (SM)

By helping students acquire deliberative skills, community colleges can help develop citizen leaders who can engage in public discussion about values that are commonly shared but differently applied. Moreover, deliberative skills, consisting of active listening, creative conflict, public dialogue, and public judgment, can provide a fresh approach to active learning in the classroom. Leaders in learning organizations are responsible for building organizations where people are continually expanding their capabilities to shape their future, while the greatest service a leader can provide is to help others develop and sustain good working relationships. One important resource for implementing this kind of approach in the classroom is the study circle, in which small groups discuss and deliberate together to make decisions. In study circles, participants must listen with an open mind and strive to understand the position of those who disagree with them. Ideas and differences can be freely expressed and challenged, but participants are responsible for monitoring their attitude, body language, and use of reason versus emotion. Study circles can train students to move beyond data and arguments as presented in lectures or textbooks to a consideration of information within a broad social context. (HAA)