Collaborative problem solving (CPS) has been shown to both engage and benefit students' learning of mathematics. However, there is evidence that group work is not always easy to facilitate, in part because educators lack details about learners' engagement during group work: the processes of problem solving involved, and how these are engaged. In…

Research on gender differences in group performance suggests that males excel at brainstorming while females excel at human relations and integration. To investigate the relations among gender, interaction style, and task performance, 264 college students (130 female, 134 male) worked in three person same sex groups on a production task which…

GROUP FUNCTIONING AND ACTIVITIES WERE STUDIED IN TWO CONTEXTS, THE LABORATORY AND THE REGULAR SCHOOL CLASSROOM. THE LABORATORY STUDY INVOLVED SMALL GROUP PROBLEM-SOLVING IN ARITHMETIC AND IN SOCIAL STUDIES. STUDIES CONSISTED OF GROUP PERFORMANCE, THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE HIGH ABILITY STUDENTS TO GROUP PERFORMANCE, THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF…

One of a series of pre-apprenticeship training modules, this self-paced student training module deals with group problem solving, goal setting, and decision making. Included in the module are the following: cover sheet listing module title, goals, and performance indicators; introduction; cover sheet/study guide with directions for module…

Outlines four stages of group development in the classroom (Inclusion and Membership, Establishing Shared Influence and Collaborative Decision Making, Pursuing Individual and Academic Goals, Self-Renewal: Adapting to Changes), exercises to facilitate each stage, and the teacher's role throughout. (LC)

Materials presented in this curriculum guide are designed to provide students with the information and skills they need to work effectively in task-oriented groups. The curriculum is presented in eight self-contained units or modules, each of which emphasizes a particular set of group interaction attitudes, knowledge, and skills. These include…