This edition of the Forum contains the second Carnegie Chronicle, a special section reporting on new lines of inquiry into teaching and learning issues being pursued by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This edition takes up an aspect of assessment, looks at an audit of the current discourse about teaching, previews a decade-long study of professional education, and considers the work of local campuses in the scholarship of teaching.

Coincidentally, Carnegie Scholar Larry Michaelsen's article on working with small groups begins this edition of the Forum. Michaelsen believes many pieces of conventional wisdom about working with groups miss the mark. He offers positive alternatives.

Years of work with honors programs have taught Jane Fiori Lawrence much about bright students. Faculty tend to think they're superhuman, but there is no special pedagogy for teaching them. The best of the innovative teaching practices for most students are also the best for honors. Ellen Weber reminds us that since the beginning of teaching, the most powerful tool has been the question. Fortunately, it comes in all shapes and sizes, one suitable to every teaching need.

Subscribers and site license holders will find a special article for them posted (with other supplemental materials) at www.ntlf.com. The article, by Dennis and Melanie Middlemist (previewed on page 12) shows how to use the Web to report grades quickly and privately to hundreds of students. Macros, procedures and other software enhancements to make the job easier are available for download via the article.

Two "diaries" and an AD REM . . . round out this edition of the Forum. Eula Ewing Monroe's LEARNING DIARY reflects on how interaction with a single student can change one's teaching philosophy forever. Laura Border's popular DEVELOPER'S DIARY ponders parallels between students of Kung Fu seeking mastery and ordinary students seeking a grade. Finally, another of Linc. Fisch's windows on practical teaching give us a look at when breaking eye contact can unleash a flood of general discussion.

Judging from the sudden increase in visits to www.ntlf.com after I announced the unveiling of its Library's new FAQ section, it appears there's interest in the increasing number of useful resources being created for the Forum's readers. Look for other enhancements and additional resources as the year progresses.

And remember that this publication is a forum. You are invited to participate. Happily the number of good manuscripts we receive has increased steadily over the years, but there's always room for more good work. Have you considered reflecting on and writing about your teaching? Your experience, your reflection on effective teaching has a place in the conversation. Faculty of all kinds now understand the importance of thinking more concretely about their teaching and writing about it.

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

Remember, too, that 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.