The Engineering College at Hogskolen i Telemark has since 1982 practiced cooperative learning as the model of promoting student learning. It has earlier been shown that the Telemark Model does enhance many important aspects of learning and human growth. However, new demands on higher education in Norway asks for new roles of universities and…

This publication was written in acknowledgment of career development month and is composed of activities for career development for elementary through secondary school students. The overall theme is school-to-work sustainability, and the document provides a guidance model that explains how the school-to-work transition can occur. The model is…

This brief is part of a series of technical assistance resources on financing and sustaining out-of-school time and community school initiatives. The brief presents general background information and strategies for maximizing Medicaid funding for such programs and highlights examples of innovative projects throughout the country. The financing…

Inappropriate social skills exhibited early in elementary school can interfere with cooperative group work, completion of academic tasks on time, and academic growth. This action research project evaluated the impact of a program for improving social behavior in a cooperative group setting to reduce inappropriate interactions and increase positive…

This document discusses a test devised for a university level English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) course that tests students' conversational ability. The test has been used successfully in a Japanese university English communication class over three years. Learning not only to speak but to listen and respond appropriately to others is also an…

This paper explores community perceptions of students and faculty involved in service learning and campus outreach initiatives, examining how communities and campuses engage in service activities; how the service mission of higher education is perceived; whether service learning students help or hinder community agencies; and how partnerships…

Noting that literature on higher education instruction is sparse on the topic of class and course endings, this paper provides advice on how to successfully end individual classes and semester-long courses in ways that maximize learning and minimize discomfort. Based on this literature and a discussion the authors initiated through online computer…

This paper reports on a comparative study of the use of asynchronous (bulletin board) and synchronous (chat) discussion on three learning units based on the cognitive maps developed by the learners. Cognitive maps have been found to be an effective tool for learners for discussion in a distributed learning environment. Cognitive maps provided…

This conference paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the effects of a mentor service on 30 children with severe emotional disturbances and considered to be at extreme risk for out-of-home placement. The mentors provided regular, consistent, face-to-face and telephone contact with each child for five hours per week. The mentors…

This study explores the complex interaction and individuality of students in a community college basic writing class. Students represented a diverse population in terms of age and ethnicity. The research makes use of informal and formal modes of writing in the classroom as a way to understand writing as both an individual activity and as a social…

This study investigated whether there was a difference in the level of academic achievement for African American students when instructed through lecture and discussion and cooperative learning methods in the social studies classroom. Participants were 58 African American 12th graders in an urban public school. A control group was instructed using…

This report provides K-12 educators with instructional strategies that research shows have the greatest likelihood of positively affecting student learning. The 12 chapters include: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Identifying Similarities and Differences (comparing, classifying, creating metaphors, and creating analogies); (3)…

This paper describes the development of an interoperable meta-database system--a system of applications using metadata--that is intended to facilitate learner-centered collaboration, access to learning resources, and the fitness of channels of information to the emerging needs of learners at both individual and group levels. Highlights include:…

Under the concept of lifelong education, many people from many parts of the social environment will need to be trained and learn about IT (Instructional Technology). The authors have started building a framework for such people, as a distance educational model of self/collaborative learning support. The purpose of this study is to propose and…

This paper describes lessons learned while planning a statewide conference to increase the knowledge of tobacco control advocates and promote implementation of the Alabama Comprehensive Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Plan (Plan) within the state. The Plan has three overall goals: preventing youth from becoming tobacco users; promoting…