This paper examines the use of professional reading groups as a strategy to help college and university administrators stay informed and meet administrative challenges. It reports on a study of 26 institutions by the American Council on Education, which examined the process of large-scale institutional change. This study's findings support reading…

Small-group instructional diagnosis uses an outside facilitator to elicit college student feedback on instruction. At Purdue University (Indiana), the technique has been successfully used in 46 departments. It is usually conducted at midterm, is nondirective, is oral, uses consensus, tends to produce honest responses, and is externally controlled.…

Illustrating with a real-life problem involving a 12th-grade math teacher's decision to fail a college-bound minority student, this article shows how case studies enhance preservice teachers' learning and awareness. In the classroom, teaching strategies, evaluation methods, and decisions about students' lives are inextricably entangled with a…

This qualitative research study is an exploration of the merit and shortcomings of using a combination of the music software GarageBand[TM] and an electronic bulletin board to facilitate musical and peer learning in a 3-month elementary music methods curriculum and instruction course. A pedagogical objective of this assignment was to increase the…

This paper describes how educators/caregivers can learn about inclusion from the perspective of persons with mental retardation through participation in selected case study activities. Educators/caregivers first organize into study groups and then develop codes of ethics to ensure the protection and confidentiality of the individuals being…

This paper outlines a model for assessing and managing psychological depth in outdoor and experiential group work, and presents two case studies of the complexity of such management in real life. The model contains eight levels of emotional risk and presents four criteria for assessing the level to which a particular event or discussion may lead…

A total of 345 annotated references pertaining to instructional methods and techniques are organized under the following headings: (1) Methods and Techniques (General), (2) Job Instruction, (3) Apprenticeship, (4) Demonstration, (5) Coaching, (6) Internship, Field Work, Supervised Professional Practice, (7) Correspondence Study, (8) Independent…

This report describes the initiation and work of the Community Family Day Care Project (sponsored by Pacific Oaks College) in its first year of operation. The goals of the project were: (1) to identify the formal and informal networks of child care in a multi-racial (Mexican, Negro, Anglo) low-income neighborhood in Pasadena. California; (2) to…

Examines three anecdotal cases of the teaching of evolution theory in an exploration of the best approaches for teaching about evolution. Three instructional options are presented: (1) readings in natural history, (2) commercially prepared activities, and (3) the use of small-group (peer) discussions. (LZ)

This paper describes the use of qualitative observation techniques for gathering and analyzing data related to group processes during an Accelerated Schools Model training session. The purposes for this research were to observe the training process in order better to facilitate present continuation and future training, to develop questions for…

Discusses the use of cooperative learning in advanced journalism and broadcasting courses. Presents two one-semester studies, "snapshots" of how a group of students tackled team reporting and how a group of broadcast regulation students dealt with group argumentation. Notes the lack of serious theoretical development to guide journalism…

This article discusses some key findings about secondary schools from a mapping study of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education in England. The secondary school elements of the study combined a nationally representative survey of 617 secondary schools with follow-up in-depth case studies in five of these schools. These case studies…

THIS IS PART ONE OF A REPORT ON DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP TRAINING CONDUCTED BY THE SPEECH COMMUNICATION CENTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN (MILWAUKEE), DURING JUNE 1965 TO EQUIP RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE AS FACILITATORS OF PEACE CORPS TRAINEE SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS. THE GOALS OF SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION ARE TO INTEGRATE THEORY AND…

Describes the procedures and techniques employed in a peer-group approach for promoting conceptual change. Explains how a series of cards were used to challenge student's conceptions of energy. Suggests that a systematic development of skills is needed to maximize the benefits of a peer group discussion approach. (ML)

Case study methodology is used to explore the progress of one cohort of graduate students at Bank Street College of Education (New York). The portfolio process requires students to: (1) identify and discuss the artifacts that they find most significant in their personal and professional development; (2) identify connections between and among…