An Idea Sharing Day is cosponsored by Emporia State University and the local school district of Emporia, Kansas. This cosponsorship fosters positive relations between the university and the schools, supporting efforts to provide more effective education for the elementary child. The Idea Sharing Day has created a wealth of fresh ideas for physical…

Describes the "Participation Classroom" model for foreign language learning which provides students with opportunities to participate in teaching, evaluating, and goal setting. Based on students' needs, this model provides a noncompetitive teamwork approach to achievement. This article outlines teacher's and students' roles in creating a…

The group strategies that are discussed include brainstorming, problem solving, debate, games, the lecture forum, open forums, panel discussion, question and answer sessions, role playing, quizzes, roundtable discussions, success-storytelling, and the symposium. (RL)

A behaviorally-oriented activities therapy program was designed and implemented with adolescents who manifested problems at school, at home, and with peers. Techniques employed included: contingency contracting, assertiveness training, relaxation training, and cognitive restructuring. (Author/KC)

The article summarizes 12 group sessions intended to decrease inappropriate behavior and increase the self-esteem of 10-12 learning-disabled seventh and eighth graders. Art projects culminating in a group mural were a prominent part of the group activities. (DB)

Low socially accepted learning-disabled intermediate-grade students (N=86) were paired with 86 high socially accepted, nonhandicapped classmates for 8 weeks in 4 groups: mutual interest group, cooperative academic task group, Hawthorne effect/control group, and classroom control group. Evaluated were changes in classmates' ratings of…

Discusses the question, "how do learners best learn." Urges teachers to strive to create a community atmosphere within the classroom. Suggests things teachers can do which will assist in the process of creating this community atmosphere. Lists organizations and their addresses from which information can be obtained. (KO)

The "ask and answer" speaking technique, designed as a follow-up to reading, aims to capitalize on opportunities for incidental vocabulary learning. This article describes the technique and examines the vocabulary use of a group of young English-as-a-Second-Language learners engaged in "ask and answer" tasks. Suggestions for teachers are offered.…

Formal use of cooperative learning techniques proved effective in improving student performance and retention in a freshman level statistics course. Lectures interspersed with group activities proved effective in increasing conceptual understanding and overall class performance. (11 references) (Author)

Natural and enthusiastic communication among students is a goal of every second-language class. Whole-class interaction activities promote interpersonal sharing as well as intense oral practice of targeted linguistic structures in a relaxed atmosphere. Examples are given. (Contains four references.) (Author/LB)

Elementary teachers can use graphing to introduce students to one another. An eye color graphing activity helps students learn more about each other while experimenting with different ways of organizing and displaying information. For follow up, students can apply their graphing knowledge by collecting and displaying data from their families. (SM)

Describes a mathematics review game that can be adapted to any content topic and which calls for the active participation of all students throughout the activity. (MKR)

Reading activities that include more than one person working together on one or more texts offer more than social or tedium-breaking possibilities. Various independent and integrated reading activities are described, including mapping and jigsaw reading. (19 references) (LB)

Describes how an elementary teacher encouraged her students to read novels using cooperative group activities based on popular television shows. Students divided into groups, took different roles, read a novel, and made a presentation to the class. When they finished the novel, they selected a new activity. (SM)

This paper explores that various uses of group communication in the basic course and how it can be used to bridge and reinforce interpersonal and public speaking skills units. Sections of the paper address group discussion as a content area, integrating small group discussion into the public speaking unit, integrating small groups into the…