This paper describes the development of a teachers' book club as a form of professional development, based on the premise that teachers are leaders and can be responsible for their own professional development, if given a framework and opportunity to do so. Data sources included a survey and interviews with club members. Analysis of the success of…

Feminist Research Methodology Groups (FRMGs) have developed as a specific type of women's group in which feminist academics can find supportive audiences for their work while contributing to a feminist redefinition of research methods. An analysis of two FRMGs reveals common characteristics, dynamics, and outcomes. Both were limited to small…

Because college radio offers a less structured environment, a natural habitat is created which provides for broadcasting experimental shows such as Starship Earth, an environmental radio show on East Stroudsburg University's (Pennsylvania) college radio station, WESS 90.3 FM. Environmental problems, issues, and solutions are discussed on the show.…

In the Hypothesis-Experiment-Instruction (HEI) method students are presented with a problem with three or four answer alternatives, which leads them later to recognize the distribution of choices, discuss a variety of ideas among them, and integrate distributed pieces of information. This study examined the effects of presenting a problem with or…

A replication study tested functional theory utilizing untrained full-fledged groups. One hundred forty undergraduate students who were enrolled in a small group communication course at a large midwestern university participated in small group discussions analyzing a plagiarism case used in an original study by R. Y. Hirokawa. Results indicated…

The peer-group method of composition instruction represents the quintessence of the "environmental" mode of teaching which brings teacher, student, and materials more nearly into balance. Responding to recent criticisms of peer-response groups, a model was developed to establish a middle course, balancing (1) philosophical stances; (2)…

Peer writing groups help students to write personally satisfying, communicative prose by allowing them to get away from competition for grades and from the fear and authority carried by the teacher. The writing group approach builds into the writing process the opportunity for revision and feedback before submitting a paper to the teacher for a…

A new method for the measurement of consensus in small groups is proposed. The method allows for the study of the dynamic formation of consensus and, with the aid of some mathematical manipulations, reveals the development of subgroup relations over time. In a pilot test, the method was used to study groups of students choosing a topic which they…

This study examined the effects of differential time pressures on small group members' rankings of one another based on vocal activity. Vocal activity was operationalized as observed frequency of interaction. Time pressure was manipulated by allowing either six minutes or no time limit on a group problem-solving task. Main effects were…

Presents one college professor's account of how service learning might help facilitate meaningful discussions on race in an undergraduate course on Social Foundations of Education, describing the dynamics that tend to unfold whenever "race" comes up in class discussions, analyzing the benefits and potential pitfalls of service learning, and…

For many students, school is not a place to explore new ideas or develop fresh perspectives. School is a place where there are "positions" that they must "defend" in the "arena" of the classroom. If they do muster up the courage to participate, they have learned what it is like to lose: they describe it as being…

A study examined how parliamentary procedure may be used in everyday group discussion and how its principles may be applied in committee meetings and discussions that do not demand formal parliamentary procedures. Subjects, 127 undergraduate and 56 graduate students attending two Canadian universities, were surveyed over a 4-year period. Subjects…

The Employability Support Network of Disabled Youth is a 3-year model program housed at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center of the Oregon Health Sciences University (Portland). The network is designed to set up support groups featuring as a role model a person with a disability. Specifically, the model sets up a project which (1)…

The Parent Group Development Program was established to provide information and support for parents with developmental disabilities. Parent group activities focused on offering information about child development (through a guessing game in which behavior was matched to one of four age groups) and meal planning and budgeting (with a task that…

A review of the professional literature supports the position that abundant experience with literature has value for young readers. Teachers in the elementary grades stimulate appreciation of literature when (1) their own enthusiasm is evident as they read and discuss books, (2) they regard each pupil as an able reader of and responder about…