A class originally is a group of individuals. With a skilled teacher-leader, the non-voluntary nature of membership in the group can be overcome, equality of members achieved, and common goals determined. Techniques important to successful group formation include tone setting, structuring, blocking, linking, supporting, reflecting, and…

Presents suggestions to handle children during an interpretive program and use their presence to enhance the program. Suggestions include make children feel they are part of the group, learn names, let them know who's the boss, use hands-on activities, let them help, focus their attention, include everyone, and give positive feedback. (JRH)

This paper describes an on-line computer-based model designed to facilitate the teaching of research methods in undergraduate social psychology courses. The model simulates experimental outcomes data for three dependent variables obtained through the manipulation of a subset of nineteen independent variables reported on studies investigating the…

Presents instructional strategies designed to maximize cohesion and minimize conflict in collaborative writing groups. Argues that an understanding of sources of conflict, conflict management strategies, and group processes allows productive and creative group energy to be channeled into effective business writing. (RS)

Considering recent claims that groups are important to teaching and learning, the authors examine the differences between groups and collections of people to see how one might create learning groups when designing learning and instruction. Based on literature in the fields of group dynamics and education, characteristics of groups are listed and…

Describing a game-playing concept called "Tangoes" which is also known as the ancient Chinese puzzle game of Tanagram, this paper offers a teaching method which enables students to better understand the roles played in groups as well as how groups function. The paper contains a list of materials, an explanation of the process, usage…

A study investigated the relationship between teaching style and group conflict within the small instructional group. The conjecture was that the transactional teaching style is associated with more positive resolutions to group conflict than either the nomothetic or idiographic style. Research was conducted on 10 instructional groups within the…

Phases of an authority-interdependence sequence, which defines authority before defining interdependence, are presented. Then, three teaching strategies--self-awareness and group explanation, democratic process and responsibility, and relating process to substance--are described as utilizing the sequence. (ND)

An alternative to homogeneous grouping, involving direct assessment of academic productivity and pre-training for group work, is illustrated by two experiments which used contingency management techniques to develop and maintain high rates of academic productivity in a group of two boys with school adjustment problems and in a larger group. (KW)

Describes a collaborative classroom process that helps build cohesion among group members by placing all students into the roles of writer, reader, editor, and evaluator. Presents six teaching tips for the process. (RS)

Tests the use of modeling and wait-time as guided-tour procedures and their use by docents as a strategy for increasing visitor questions. Modeling and wait-time seemed clearly important in encouraging visitors to begin to ask questions. Visitors asked an average of seven times more questions than had been asked on pre-experimental tours. (PVD)

Peer groups matter more than we think. In this paper we assert that peer group commitments and affiliations are often the primary social reference in determining the way young people think about and practice risk. It is, we argue, inappropriate to impose adult constructions of risk-taking and anti-social behaviour when trying to assert influence…

This paper describes the development of augmented group awareness tools that take mutual user ratings of their online discussion contributions as input, aggregate these data, and visually feed these data back to the members in real time, thereby informing participants about how the group as a whole perceives their contributions. A specific group…