Catalyst is designed to support and promote the change, professional learning and development of groups of teacher leaders, both within and across schools. It consists of two sets of evidence-informed resource cards and a clear and detailed facilitator guide. Catalyst is designed for schools in all contexts and across all student age groups. It is…

Active blended learning (ABL) is a pedagogical approach that combines sensemaking activities with focused interactions in appropriate learning settings. ABL has become a great learning tool as it is easily accessible online, with digitally rich environments, close peer and tutor interactions, and accommodations per individual learner needs. It…

In the digital age, numerous technological tools are available to enhance educational practices. When used effectively, student engagement and mobile learning are significantly increased. "Social Media in Education: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice" contains a compendium of the latest academic material on the usage, strategies, and…

Digital integration is the driving force of teaching and learning at all levels of education. As more non-traditional students seek credentialing, certification, and degrees, institutions continue to push the boundaries of innovative practices to meet the needs of diverse students. Programs and faculty have moved from merely using technology and…

This annotated bibliography of the current resources in cooperative learning is the result of a comprehensive search of the literature in the fields of education, psychology, sociology, linguistics, and business. It contains 926 citations of books, journal articles, periodicals, and non-print material pertaining to cooperative/collaborative…

There is a rich theoretical base for cooperative learning. Three interrelated types have been developed (formal, informal, cooperative base groups) that provide a framework for effective college teaching. However, too much emphasis is placed on developing the skills of individuals and too little on creating learning communities within which…

Much of the emphasis in this handbook is on helping students develop investigative, problem-solving, and thinking skills, but the importance of students' working together in a cooperative and democratic setting to solve problems is also stressed. Cooperative learning is an instructional tool that can often be used to the student's advantage. Part…

This article examines critical staff development issues that must be addressed if cooperative learning is to produce quality implementation across classrooms. Staff development programs should consider teacher ownership and governance, teachers' levels of concern regarding education innovation, formats for training, relevance of ecological impact,…

Through lively discussions of specially selected texts, students of diverse abilities often discover that they can learn a lot from one another. The Touchstones Project in a Baltimore (Maryland) middle school features group discussion of classical texts. (Author/TE)

This book provides a perspective on what standards for learning mean for daily practice in public education, offering teachers and administrators a four-part structure for organizing classrooms for teaching to the standards and giving teachers specific strategies for helping students reach the higher requirements. The four practices combine all of…

Given that grouping students homogeneously has proved to be more deleterious than beneficial to student learning and self-concept, principals of middle level schools have the responsibility to implement more heterogeneous grouping arrangements in their schools. Grouping programs that provide multiple criteria for determining student ability and…

This paper demonstrates how the Digital Video Disc (DVD) video player, with or without computer technology, can provide powerful and multiple functions within the college classroom (particularly the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom), enabling the teacher to design various film activities, create different subtitles for different ability…

This essay argues that the development of leadership skills in the education of college students should be on the agenda of all faculty and describes ways to build the development of leadership skills into virtually any course or program of study through a technique called Reflective Controversy. An opening phase of the essay describes the signs…

The Proactive Action Model (PAM) is an approach to social studies education that involves students directly in research-type activities. Using the PAM technique, students may research a variety of social studies topics and follow a logical process of thought and inquiry towards a tangible product such as a report or presentation. This application…

This paper presents an alternative instructional strategy, cooperative learning, and argues that it can help to address the recognized need for greater student participation in learning at the higher education level. Cooperative learning is presented as a complement to the traditional lecture/discussion format. The method is described as…