The purposes of this study are : 1) to point out the shortcomings found in earlier models for teacher interactive decision making, 2) to propose and illustrate the actual use of an alternative model, and 3) to outline the implications this new model offers instructional research and teacher education. The model presented in this paper may be characterized as follows : 1) it describes three of the basic decision processes which teachers adopt whenever they perceive or seek the reasons for discrepancies between their lesson plans and the realities of the classroom situation, 2) it discusses the relationships between teachers' decision making processes and their teaching routines and their understanding of the subject matter, and 3) it illustrates those close links which exist between teachers' curricula planning and interactive decision making. Two concrete examples of the application of this new model are also introduced, the first being related to lesson content decisions and the second on classroom management decisions.

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A computer conferencing activity of "telecommunication club" for long-distance learners which was organized for students of the University of the Air (UA) is described and evaluated so as to examine the possibilities of computer conferencing in distance education. This conferencing system allowed students a free exchange of messages and an opportunity to learn English in a casual, interactive way. The on-line activity lasted eleven months and included four conference topics of which two were for exchange in English. Of the sixty-nine initial participants, fifty-one had on-line access to the system, but only twelve of them sent notes to the topics. A total of 443 notes were sent during the period, the majority of which were to the major topic, "CLUB." The activity is summarized in this article in terms of the amount of participation, the pattern of exchanged contents, the languages used, and the quality of exchange. The students' initial expectancy is also compared between those who had access and those who did not have access to the system, revealing that the latter students had higher expectations of this project and a stronger feeling that the UA learning system was not very interactive. The results are discussed in terms of the needs of students, technical problems, the use of English, and the role of moderators. The potential of this medium for giving students a sense of belonging is emphasized and some recommendations for reopening the network in an actual situation are given.

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