This article explores a reciprocal relationship between leadership capacity and collective efficacy in a pre-K-8 school in the Southern United States that continually advances as a professional learning community. Survey data from this mixed methodology study showed significant positive correlations among subgroup scales measuring leadership…

Summarizes, from a teacher's viewpoint, the benefits of cooperative learning, including increased achievement and improvement of students' attitudes toward school, learning, and each other. Outlines five simple steps for teaching cooperation skills, describes two successful group activities, and shares student reactions to these exercises.…

Discusses how teachers can avoid problems associated with student competition in the classroom. Describes two instructional methods that involve students working together on learning tasks: cooperative learning and peer tutoring. Focuses on Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD), a team-learning approach. Includes a list of practical guides to…

The authors suggest that it will take a new dimension of teamwork under the Perkins Act to meet the challenges of the coming decade. Vocational education can be improved, they say, by close collaboration among the new state councils on vocational education, the state boards, the newly required technical committee, and a host of other groups. (CT)

Reviews possible strategies for reducing isolation and increasing cooperation of children in the school environment and in the community. Suggests ways that children can effectively work together such as problem-solving teams, support groups, and intergenerational programs. (JAC)

Tested three models (reinforcing outcome, cultural norm, social comparison) relating player's attitudes toward confederate in prisoner's dilemma game (PDG). Subjects played PDG and answered interpersonal judgment scale rating confederates. Behaviorally similar confederates received more positive evaluations than dissimilar confederates. Sex roles…

A survey of 67 cases of organizational change provides evidence concerning collaborative intervention. Collaboration exists in the phases of problem determination, goal setting, and solution in intervention, but its character changes. Little relationship is found between collaboration during each phase and the effectiveness or adoption of change.…

Investigated if there were differences between collaborative interactions of children trained to work together and those told to work together but not trained. Found that, compared to non-trained children, those in the trained groups were consistently more collaborative and helpful to each other as they tried to involve each other in the learning…

A buddy system was used to help reintegrate pairs of learning-disabled students into regular classroom programs. Students were taught to observe, monitor, and reinforce appropriate behavior of their "buddies." Following implementation in the resource room, the program was extended to the regular class placement. (DB)

As school systems face more budget cuts, elaborate field trips are being axed. A Virginia middle school experimented with an overnight lockout in the school gym. Since seventh graders were already grouped into four heterogeneous teams for a pilot instructional program, these groups were maintained during the "gymboree." Each student wore…

Describes an Illinois consolidated high school district's staff development program to offer teachers a variety of professional growth opportunities. Peer coaching, an important program component, succeeds only in an atmosphere of trust and respect. Other key factors are appropriate training for all participants and development of preconference,…

Presents three exercises that deal with issues in communication: (1) icebreaking techniques for seminar groups, including individual, pair, and small group formats; (2) a workshop that stresses cooperative groupwork, including competitive teams; and (3) a workshop that encourages assertiveness in learning situations and discusses submissiveness,…

Summarizes results of a study conducted in several elementary schools to determine how extraordinary principals guide the educational change process. Principals' interview responses were categorized into four interactive domains: principals' roles, teachers' roles, the change process, and contextual factors. Findings affirm the key role of…

A model of academic faculty/health professional collaboration includes assessment/goal setting, determining collaborative fit, resource identification, refinement/implementation, and evaluation. It is based on concepts of social exchange, negotiation, role differentiation, and trust. (SK)

Describes nine group activities used to build cooperation and teamwork in adventure-, challenge-, and experiential-education settings. Includes target group, group size, time and space requirements, activity level, props needed, instructions, ideas for post-activity group processing and reflection, and facilitator tips. Target groups include…