Social skills involved in leadership were examined in a problem-solving activity in which 252 Chinese 5th-graders worked in small groups on a spatial-reasoning puzzle. Results showed that students who engaged in peer-managed small-group discussions of stories prior to problem solving produced significantly better solutions and initiated…

A study involving 75 Spanish-speaking fifth graders from a school in the Chicago area investigated whether a peer-led, open-format discussion approach, known as Collaborative Reasoning, would accelerate the students' English language development. Results showed that, after participating in eight discussions over a four-week period, the CR group…

Fourth- and fifth-grade students' motivation and engagement during classroom discussions were investigated in 2 studies. Study 1 examined students' moment-by-moment engagement during collaborative peer-managed small-group discussions in comparison to conventional teacher-managed whole-class discussions. Study 2 evaluated the long term effects of…

Students at two sites in China and one site in Korea engaged in Collaborative Reasoning, an approach to discussion that requires self-management, free participation, and critical thinking. The discontinuity between the usual adult-dominated discourse of Chinese and Korean homes and classrooms and the expected discourse of Collaborative Reasoning…

A study sought to replicate and extend previous research which found that an emphasis on meaning in reading leads to better recall of lesson material than does an emphasis on accurate oral reading, and that the child who is taking an active turn recalls more of the lesson material than do the children who are following along. Six third-grade…

The article summarizes a report of the Commission on Reading which lends support (based on research findings) to many of the practices embodied in the Direct Instruction Model. The Commission recommends practices such as early teaching of reading and parent involvement that are closely tied to Direct Instruction strategies. (DB)

Compares teaching emphasizing story meaning (major plot elements) with teaching emphasizing surface features of language (word analysis and accurate reading). Finds an emphasis on story meaning led to superior performance on an array of outcome measures. Finds differences especially notable for children in low and average reading groups. (SR)

Research often underestimates the vocabulary resources of the English language and, hence, the size of students' vocabularies and the rate of their vocabulary growth, by failing to take into account words that are not thought of as "general vocabulary," but that are essential to comprehension. These words include proper names, words with…

This study examined a social-organizational hypothesis that explains how silent reading in small-group lessons might influence students' learning. One hundred children in four third-grade classes, each divided into three ability groups, received two silent and two oral reading lessons. Group dynamics were measured from videotapes of the lessons.…

Investigates effects of silent reading embedded in small-group lessons typical of much classroom reading instruction. Finds both positive and negative effects--students were more attentive during silent reading and were more responsive to story content than during oral reading, but the slower pace of silent reading offset these benefits. (RS)

Considers if it is possible for fourth-grade teachers and their students to implement Collaborative Reasoning, an instructional frame that transfers much of the control over discourse to students, during their reading lessons. Shows that the teachers and students were generally successful at implementing the new instructional frame. (SG)