External representations can be powerful for supporting learners in both individual and collaborative learning scenarios. They encourage learners to focus on important instructional elements. In this study, we investigate two different forms of external representations: textually represented collaboration scripts and graphically represented…

This study examines the pedagogical potential of Critical/Reflective Readers Theater (CRRT) in teaching American literature to non-native English speakers in Taiwan. Implemented within a semester-long course at National Kaohsiung Normal University, the 18-week CRRT program integrated performance, collaborative script adaptation, and reflective…

In an earlier study, we had tested if observing a collaboration model, or alternatively, following a collaboration script could improve students' subsequent collaboration in a computer-mediated setting and promote their knowledge of good collaboration. Both model and script showed positive effects. The current study was designed to further probe…

This submission contains the Proceedings of the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG), held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. The CMESG is a group of mathematicians and mathematics educators who meet annually to discuss mathematics education issues at all levels of learning. The aims of the…

In the field of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), scripts are designed to support collaboration among distant learners or co-present learners whose interactions are (at least partially) mediated by a computer. The rationale of scripts is to structure collaborative learning processes in order to trigger group interactions that may…

Collaborative learning in computer-supported learning environments typically means that learners work on tasks together, discussing their individual perspectives via text-based media or videoconferencing, and consequently acquire knowledge. Collaborative learning, however, is often sub-optimal with respect to how learners work on the concepts that…

Designed to be used by teachers with varying degrees of dramatic arts experience and by students with limited English proficiency as well as native English speakers, this clear, simple guide familiarizes teachers and children with classic literature through the narrative-mime approach. The guide contains: (1) eight of Aesop's fables adapted and…

Describes how one English teacher stumbled on the idea of having student peer groups write scripts. Outlines a variety of ways that script writing assignments can be made. Advocates having such scripts created by student collaborative groups. (HB)

Describes a theater course which engages senior high school students, through a series of units, in the creation and staging of an original script for young children. Lists the units: (1) creation of the script; (2) rehearsal and pre-production; and (3) production. Enumerates the students' responsibilities and reflects on the collaborative…

Studies have shown that videoconferencing is an effective medium for facilitating communication between parties who are separated by distance, particularly when learners are engaged in complex collaborative learning tasks. However, as in face-to-face communication, learners benefit most when they receive additional support for such learning tasks.…

Many learning and instructional approaches that manipulate the environment in which learners work and cooperate with each other have illustrated growth in cognitive, intellectual, social, and affective areas. To date, however, uncertainty still exists as to the mechanism by which various types of peer tutoring facilitate learning. This study seeks…

Investigated whether audiotape construction would affect preservice teachers' mastery and retention of important terms and socialization to technology. Experimental students collectively created audiotape scripts for learning terms. Control students received lectures and text. Experimental students expressed confidence and competence in using…

The influence of social relationships, positive interdependence, and teacher structure on the quality of partner reading interactions was examined. Partner reading, a scripted cooperative learning strategy, is often used in classrooms to promote the development of fluent and automatic reading skills. Forty-three pairs of second grade children were…

This book, designed for grades four through eight, offers a variety of lessons designed to provide teachers with plans for using video technology in the classroom. Many curricular areas are addressed in order to provide a range of educational alternatives from which to choose. Most of the lessons require students to work in cooperative groups of…

A study explored how ethnically diverse students in an urban high school worked collaboratively to conceive and execute original theater pieces that addressed issues of relevance to them. Subjects, 29 of the original 51 seniors in the theater institute program at Hillcrest High School, New York City, completed pre- and posttests, written…