In all things moderation, the Delphic Oracle is supposed to have said. As a youth, I regarded such advice merely as restraint. Older now, it seems more like a means of not getting lost. Balance doesn't mean stasis, as I once thought; it means staying awake to the newness of the moment and finding a way to live it out in ways that make sense with what's already known. Balance is the theme that underlies most of the contributions to this edition of the Forum.

In their new book, Discussion As A Way of Teaching, Stephen Brookfield and Stephen Preskill have chapters on keeping both the students' and the teacher's voice in balance, but as the book is subtitled "Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms," balance underlies the whole discussion there as well. Here they offer an excerpt on the teacher's voice. Specific advice and techniques are discussed in a further excerpt subscribers will find posted on our Web site (www.ntlf.com).

Balance sometimes depends on perspective, something John Gottcent offers in his essay on "student bashing." We were all once young and, like as not, seen as the latest evidence of civilization's decline, Gottcent says. Moreover, while we were judging and being judged, we were (and are) largely practicing the same faults. (Some day we'll get it right.) And complementing Gottcent's essay, Ted Rachofsky offers another of his quiet epiphanies on what students have to teach us by reminding us of our common humanity and often similar histories.

On the lighter side, the Forum's Technology Editor Tom Creed surveys the dark side, the painful side, of being an Early Adopter. As a psychologist, Creed understands his addiction, but can't escape its grip. Who'd want him to? It's energetic pioneers like Tom who are revolutionizing teaching by embracing technology with Delphic wisdom--at least in their classes if not on their home computers.

ERIC TRACKS returns with a column by Frances Sage reviewing the highlights of research into learning theory and how it is (and might be) applied in the classroom. Again, additional material expanding on what's covered here is posted for subscribers at www.ntlf.com.

Finally, Paul Berghoff and a group of faculty friends created a kind of examination of conscience about their teaching. They offer their twenty overlapping questions and invite you to create your own as you ponder answers to theirs.

Remember that the "scholarship of teaching" embraces a wide range of thoughtful writing. Your experience, your reflections on more effective teaching have a place in the conversation. Faculty of all kinds have begun to feel the importance of thinking more concretely about their teaching and writing about it. Insights from one discipline often have cross-disciplinary implications. I encourage subscribers to consider drafting a manuscript for the Forum.

Submissions should not exceed 1500 words (six ordinary typed pages), except in extremely unusual circumstances, and should be shorter whenever possible. Submissions in electronic form are highly encouraged. Indeed, submissions through E-mail are welcome.

Remember, too, that now with the synergy we have between the printed newsletter and its Web site, we have room for more elaborate presentations, a repository for detailed supplementary material to expand the compact presentations printed here.

Share what you've learned in teaching. Send your manuscripts to the Forum.