A description is provided of the use of a group process approach to the Freshman English research paper at El Paso Community College. After highlighting problems associated with traditional approaches to freshman research papers, an overview of the group process approach is provided, along with warnings for instructors who might view the approach…

The paper describes the basic features and techniques of a specific kind of discussion group, the Grouptalk. Grouptalk, especially useful in the elementary grades, is a formal discussion of a question by a small group and a leader. Participants follow the specific rules that all contribute relevantly to the discussion and that all help in the…

Asserts that minority student counseling requires new and more dynamic outreach models to attract inner-city students to explore the possibilities of counseling. Suggests that counselors be mobile, informal, accessible, and visible. Describes Medgar Evers College's (New York) Counseling Program, a comprehensive outreach delivery system emphasizing…

Relates the experience of a teacher who discovered that students enjoy studying literature if they are allowed to experience it rather than analyze it. Contends that the effort to teach books at the secondary level using literary criticism is a misguided response to a national literacy crisis. (SRT)

One of the issues a college writing instructor grapples with in teaching writing is how best to structure collaborative groups to maximize benefit for each student in a multicultural classroom where many students might fairly be considered "marginalized"--to create an environment in which they become "insiders." Criteria sets for forming group…

Argues that most curriculum changes within colleges and universities have been implemented on a short-term, piecemeal basis. Suggests that research examine how curricular change can be accomplished over time and across programs, as well as what cultural considerations affect the effort. Details problem-based learning changes instituted at Samford…

Suggests techniques for camp directors to help older adults enjoy adventure camping. Discusses sociological and psychological changes accompanying aging. Emphasizes outdoor group activities as ways of helping older adults adjust to aging. Offers tips for adventure program development, staff development, and program evaluation. (TES)

Discusses methods for promoting cooperative learning among preschoolers and the history of these methods. Describes class projects and activities at Dai-ichi Preschool in Japan, which uses group and individual activities to build a classroom group that fosters children's growth and creativity and supports children's efforts. (BB)

Teacher education programs inadequately prepare teachers to teach students to participate in the many forms of cooperation which are inherent in life. Although teachers have the responsibility of helping students learn how to live and be productive in social groups, students in colleges of education are not usually trained to oversee and grade…

A format is proposed for use in systematic instructional designs where small group activities are planned. The format includes descriptive categories of activity identification; instructional objectives; role, task, and reward structures; evaluation procedures; and support system. Examples are given of how the format can be used. (Author/MBR)

Argues, in a discussion of the benefits of collaborative writing, that teaching writing as a solitary activity belies actual experience and research pointing to it as a collaborative effort. Shows how to use peer response groups to introduce students to collaborative writing. (EL)

Presents secondary students' perceptions of cooperative learning (CL) in an attempt to understand how and why CL benefits students affectively and cognitively. After describing the structure of learning and schooling, the article discusses how CL promotes positive interdependence, social skills, work skills, and individual accountability. (SM)

"Lifewriting" provides a different model for the school composition class, a model that changes the traditional images of the student and teacher at work. Lifewriting--the composing of personal stories, anecdotes, and memoirs--has a beneficial effect in that while it begins with personal expression, the dynamics of the lifewriting group…

Offers suggestions for teaching information skills to kindergarten through second-grade students. Highlights include book titles to use as discussion lead-ins; library group activities; the use of technology, including computer software and electronic mail; and problem-solving skills. (LRW)

Asserts that elementary students should know the basic vocabulary of economics, in particular, the "Significant Six": (1) goods and services; (2) productive resources; (3) scarcity; (4) opportunity cost; (5) specialization; and (6) exchange. Provides a lesson called "Benny's Pennies" that focuses on goods and services that…