ABSTRACT

We define the “conference room” as a setting (which may or may not be physically distinct from the space in which lectures are delivered or lab experiments are carried out) in which every student in a relatively small group of students can potentially interact with each other and with the instructor (Michael, 1993; Michael & Rovick, 1999). Along with lectures and/or laboratories, science courses commonly include sessions variously described as “discussion sections,” “problem-solving sessions,” “workshops,” or perhaps “lab discussion sections.” The issue to be confronted here is how to create an active learning environment for students in such sessions.