The practices and philosophy of a teacher whose physical education classes include orthopedically handicapped students are described. Independent learning and a productive learning environment are emphasized through learning activities which involve children cognitively and affectively while they develop psychomotor skills. (PP)

Writing groups, used in many English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) composition classrooms, pose problems for some students from collectivistic cultures such as Japan and China. Suggested reasons are the individual benefit goal, the need for feedback rather than group harmony, and strained group dynamics. (Contains 41 references.) (Author/LB)

This booklet, a discovery/work text, asks learners to take a careful look at the ways they participate in communication situations, at the form their participation in communication takes, and at the personal and societal consequences of communication. Laboratory activities focus on techniques of communication and on strategies for dealing with…

Reports on the use of small group instruction in a college sociology course. Contends that teacher-assigned groups using students' perception of their level of knowledge on a topic is an effective strategy. Maintains this technique helps enrich class discussions and improves student understanding of course content. (CFR)

The study described in this report investigated the effects of two context variables on small-group learning--namely, group size and group gender composition--within an adult learning framework. In the study, the "revolving circle" method was innovated. In this design, one group member is the center of the cooperative circle and all…

Cooperative learning is a generic classroom technique that requires students to work and talk together about academic material while learning effective interpersonal skills. This packet, prepared in conjunction with the Minnesota School Effectiveness Program, describes the benefits of cooperative learning and defines its critical attributes,…

Sketches the background of mobbing (bullying) in the workplace. Analyzes the school related debate on mobbing. Takes into account the structure and interaction related characteristics of the teaching profession. Asks whether these characteristics can lead to a higher potential for mobbing and how this potential should be assessed. (CAJ)

Group work is increasingly being used in a variety of college courses. A number of strengths have driven the increase in the use of this form of collaborative learning. Still, a number of problems potentially limit the use of group projects. In this study, we report on research in which we examined how students recommended changing group projects.…

The major purpose of the research reported here was to determine how teachers from middle school to high school levels acquired their understanding of cooperative learning, how they used it in the classroom, and how they kept students accountable for performance. Eleven teachers were interviewed and observed in five disciplines (language arts,…

Technical writing teachers who believe in the fundamental value of group work and its potential for helping students preevaluate their papers must deal with the problems associated with the technique by adding structure to student efforts in the areas of group training, group activities, and group evaluation. Explicitly training students to…

This study was an attempt fo document aspects of small group work in classrooms engaged in the process education curricula called "Materials and Activities for Teachers and Children" (MATCH). Data on student-student interaction was related to small group work and gathered by paper-and-pencil sociometric questionnaires and measures of group…

This article attempts to help teachers use group experiences for teaching purposes. It focuses on the importance of preplanning and designing the learning experience, the identification of events and behaviors that may emerge during the group process, and ways of dealing with these behaviors. (NG)

Explores a set of pedagogic practices in a 'progressivist' classroom as practices of covert institutional regulation. The article attempts to show how the instructional potential of the pedagogic act is subordinated to the regulative rules of the institutional context of the classroom, so that following classroom rules becomes the main focus of…

Food and drink are associated with survival and for children and young people the edible landscape represents an essential part of survival in the modern school. Within any institution that "contains" persons over time, such as schools, hospitals and prisons, the organization and control of eating and drinking takes on a particularly…

Reports a survey of students' satisfaction in a cooperative learning college-level introductory biology course offered, with changes, over 3 years. The survey found that cognitive diversity increases group conflict and concluded that there can be no "perfect course" due to the diversity of cognitive styles found in any class. Using a…