Harvey Daniels (1994) describes literature circles as small, temporary discussion groups consisting of students who elect to read the same text. As each member assumes specific responsibilities in preparation for the discussion, those members come to the discussion with supporting notes related to his or her role. One elementary teacher refined a…

Advantages and disadvantages of group discussion as a method of instruction are reviewed in this paper and criteria are suggested for determining when group discussion is or is not an appropriate instructional method. The guidelines provided take into consideration the characteristics of the students, the teacher, the group as a whole, and the…

This booklet, developed by England's Department for Education and Employment, provides information and teaching strategies to support the teaching of speaking and listening skills and develop confidence as speakers and listeners, by providing models, carefully planned activities and tasks that promote different kinds of talk and listening, and…

Gaming, an approach to problem solving that engages a real life situation, is a technique particularly appealing for design students because it permits learning about the process of change in a dynamic environment requiring periodic decisions. Two games about consensus decisions are discussed: KEEPS and Senior Center Game. (MLW)

This paper describes the Oral Communication Program (OCP) developed at Radford University (Virginia) and discusses key components for a proposal to acquire funding from public or private granting agencies. Analogous to the writing-across-the-curriculum movement, the OCP encourages faculty in all academic areas to incorporate oral communication…

This book presents a wide array of sophisticated problem-solving tools and shows how to use them in a humanizing way that involves all stakeholders in the process. Chapter 1 develops the rationale for educational stakeholders to consider quality tools. Chapter 2 highlights three quality group-process tools--brainstorming, the nominal group…

A traveling seminar and support program offered to beginning vocational education teachers by the University of Wyoming's Department of Vocational Education was successful in combating rural isolation and the absence of inservice training opportunities. Teachers shared problems and observed new instructional techniques during weekend meetings held…

In July 1989, the members of Project Cooperation, 10 community colleges that had been invited to serve as demonstration sites for research on institutional effectiveness, were brought together for the second national colloquium on institutional effectiveness through outcomes measures. This report contains the presentations made at the colloquium…

This book presents a systematic approach to developing a new college course involving, first, global analysis; second, thought, planning, and methodical preparation; and, third, evaluation of results. Chapter 1 recommends that the teacher examine the conditions of the teaching situation including reasons for the course, resources available, and…

Intended for instructors teaching a college course for the first time, this anthology contains short readings organized into four sections on: (1) introductory concerns, (2) course planning, (3) instructional methods, and (4) evaluation. Each section is preceded by a brief introduction. Included are the following articles: "It's a Myth: Nobody…

Presents a model of three types of learning groups, i.e., leader-centered, content-centered, and group-member-centered. Describes the characteristics and uses of each type. (RC)

The Structured Activity Model for designing group learning activities enhances generation of relevant data for group exploration in a nonthreatening way when the content area is personally threatening or controversial. This model is flexible and readily adaptable to a variety of group learning contexts, content areas, and age levels. (Author)