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Should we consider students to have two separate lives--a relatively digital free life at school and a digitally saturated life away from school--or should we consider them to have one life that integrates their lives as students and digital citizens?

"telling students your rules—using the first week to show who's in charge—is a way of getting kids to see themselves as either automatons or rebels,"

If a teacher imposes rules unilaterally, the rules "don't belong to those kids, and the kids won't feel a necessity for them,"

Unlike a coercive approach, where the teacher "regulates" children by telling them what to do, this cooperative approach encourages children to be self-regulating and helps them develop "autonomous morality,"

"Never assume; talk to kids,"

It's a truism among educators that a small minority of students cause the vast majority of classroom disruptions. What can teachers do about students who are repeat offenders?

Experts agree that classroom management is much easier when students find the curriculum engaging and relevant.

Historically, teachers did not receive formal training in classroom management, Martin says. Teachers learned on the job. As a result, they have tended to perpetuate the same practices, which are not necessarily the best ones.

"We've seen nearly a 10 percent improvement in TAKS pass rates in just two years, as well as an 11 percent increase in math scores on the junior high campus," says Franklin. "These improvements show that the kids are more involved in the learning process. And I believe their increased involvement is directly attributable to the fact that they can interact with the information that is being presented to them on the SMART Boards."

Advantages Student work is more motivated, efficient, active and intensive due to lowered inhibitions and an increased sense of purpose By eliminating the class division of authoritative teacher and passive audience, an emotive solidarity is obtained. Students may perform many routine tasks, otherwise unnecessarily carried out by the instructor Next to subject-related knowledge students gain important key qualifications like teamwork planning abilities reliability presentation and moderation skills self-confidence Disadvantages The introduction of the method requires a lot of time. Students and teachers have to work more than usual. There is a danger of simple duplication, repetition or monotony if the teacher does not provide periodic didactic impetus.

Sudbury schools, since 1968, do not segregate students by age, so that students of any age are free to interact with students in other age groups. One effect of this age mixing is that a great deal of the teaching in the school is done by students.[18] Here are some statements about Learning by teaching in the Sudbury Schools:[19] "Kids love to learn from other kids. First of all, it's often easier. The child teacher is closer than the adult to the students' difficulties, having gone through them somewhat more recently. The explanations are usually simpler, better. There's less pressure, less judgment. And there's a huge incentive to learn fast and well, to catch up with the mentor. Kids also love to teach. It gives them a sense of value, of accomplishment. More important, it helps them get a better handle on the material as they teach; they have to sort it out, get it straight. So they struggle with the material until it's crystal clear in their own heads, until it's clear enough for their pupils to understand

This cooperative atmosphere mimics potential workplace scenerios that students would expect to find in there careers after college

Jean-Pol Martin (1989): Kontaktnetz: ein Fortbildungskonzept, in: Eberhard Kleinschmidt,E.(Hrsg.), Fremdsprachenunterricht zwischen Fremdsprachenpolitik und Praxis: Festschrift für Herbert Christ zum 60. Geburtstag, Tübingen. 389-400, (PDF 62 KB)