We sought to describe how prospective educators' choices of collaborative, cooperative, or individualistic interactions with group members and their willingness to apply unstructured effort into group functioning explained their levels of stress and self-evaluations of cooperative skills. Students (n=149) working in intact cooperative groups…

This study examined constructive controversy in theological education, an application area yet unstudied. It investigated (a) the feasibility of controversy for grappling with theological/ethical issues, (b) whether complex thinking was enhanced, (c) whether social interaction was positive, and (d) advantages/disadvantages for use in…

This paper presents a rationale for the compatibility of cooperative learning and invitational education. Invitational education focuses on how teachers can invite students to see themselves as able, valuable, and self-directing in an interactive group situation. Specifically, the rationale demonstrates how cooperatively structured disagreement…

At Villanova University, the Senior Projects Course is designed to serve as a capstone course. Students are required to integrate the pieces of the discipline acquired from previous course work into a comprehensive, fully developed research project. This paper looks critically at one aspect of effectively managing a group project course: conflict…

The social and collective aspect in human activities has become one of the main issues in Vygotskian analyses of learning and development. The study assumed that this aspect presupposes some feeling of belonging together and having a shared commitment on the part of the participants. Asserting that relatively little attention has been given to…

The rush to establish conflict resolution strategies in the schools has created a maze of programs based on a number of models. By themselves, these programs are not sufficient to promote peace among youth, since they do not transcend the interpersonal level to consider the involvement of groups of students, the community, and families. Resolving…

The Imaginitis Learning System is an integrated product development curriculum that is aimed at achieving stronger cooperation and conflict resolution skills among students who use it at elementary through adult education levels. It is a performance-based instruction product in which students learn to apply communication skills and work…

This document outlines a program for schools to encourage the development of values, attitudes, and knowledge foster constructive interpersonal relationships. Cooperative learning, conflict resolution, structured controversy, and school mediation can form the core of a comprehensive program for educating beyond hate. Cooperative learning includes…

The move toward standards-based instruction calls for greater student involvement in the learning process. Cooperative learning is widely used as many standards-based school departments advocate greater employment of constructivist classrooms as the most appropriate vehicle of instruction. During academic year 2002-03, 42 students from California…

This symposium on conflict management and decision making is comprised of three papers. "Two Approaches to Conflict Management in Teams: A Case Study" (Mychal Coleman, Gary N. McLean) describes a study that provided conflict management training to two employee teams using the traditional lecture method and cooperative learning (CL).…

This essay focuses on teachers as peacemakers. Peace education is discussed as multifaceted and cross-disciplinary, emphasizing the teaching of peace, nonviolence, conflict resolution, social justice, economic well-being, political participation, and environmental concern. The report asserts that any curriculum for young children should stress a…

This paper presents tips for educators to integrate and facilitate virtual learning teams within online courses. The techniques are grounded in current research and theoretical foundations of systems theory and group dynamics. Tips emphasize facilitation of virtual learning teams, assembled for the purpose of formal education and supported by…