To develop adult learning groups in formal educational settings, the educator must understand the nature of learning in groups. Three types of group learning are instrumental, communicative, and emancipatory. The type of learning that occurs in groups varies according to the learning tasks and goals. Group learning that has as its goal the…

This monograph summarizes the research and provides practical advice on how to structure collaborative writing for students in the higher education classroom. The monograph begins with compelling pedagogical support for collaborative writing projects based on the research that has emerged in cognitive and learning theory over the last 30 years.…

This ERIC Digest discusses reasons for using cooperative learning approaches in preschool centers and primary school classrooms, ways to implement the strategy, and the long-term benefits for children's education. It is pointed out that early childhood educators can use many of the strategies currently used to encourage cooperation and interaction…

In cooperative learning, students work together in small groups on tasks that require cooperation and interdependence among all individuals in each group. This digest looks at how cooperative learning can be used as an effective method for working with students from diverse language backgrounds. Focus is specifically on the structural approach to…

The CRitical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet describes resources on collaborative learning. It has been argued that this form of teaching and learning is more effective with women, minorities, and some other audiences that have been considered nontraditional. The first section of this CRIB Sheet includes general resources on collaborative…

Presents resources available from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) designed to help teachers implement strategies to reduce prejudice. Includes resources on using cooperative learning in prejudice reduction and resources for combating prejudice in the social studies classroom. Discusses four types of strategies for decreasing…

This document begins with a paper titled "Accommodating for Greater Student Variance in Local Schools" by Jacqueline Thousand and Richard Villa, which identifies the fundamental characteristics of successful heterogeneous public schools and describes specific examples of educational and organizational practices that enable schools to accommodate…

Language Acquisition is determined by a complex interaction of a number of critical input, output, and context variables. This digest examines these variables and reveals that cooperative learning has a dramatic positive impact on almost all of the variables critical to language acquisition. The examination looks at how cooperative learning…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational approach that challenges students to "learn to learn"--students work cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real-world problems and, more importantly, to develop skills to become self-directed learners. PBL is unique in its integral emphasis on core content along with problem solving.…

Children of migrant farmworkers spend parts of each school year in different communities across the country; some children migrate back and forth between schools in Mexico and the United States. The hardships and rich experiences of this lifestyle provide educators with unique challenges and, at the same time, opportunities to learn and develop…

This Digest discusses approaches to group learning in the language classroom, presenting some principles that are common to any group learning approach, whether it be cooperative learning, student team learning, group investigation, or collaborative learning. The Digest also discusses the Collaborative Learning Model (Reid et al., 1989) which…

This digest discusses the rationale for integrating language and content instruction, and provides an overview of some of the program models and teaching techniques that focus on this approach. The following program models are highlighted: Content-based language instruction, sheltered subject matter teaching, theme-based instruction, sheltered…

Bringing together peer teaching and collaborative learning, this book presents many specific ideas for elementary teachers to use in their classrooms and explains the principles behind the practices. Six diverse scenarios are presented which represent real experiences of teachers and their students at work in successful peer-learning classrooms.…

This digest deals with within-class reading ability grouping. The digest discusses limitations of grouping; teacher attitudes; student recollections of ability grouping experiences; and grouping for specific purposes (focusing on cooperative learning and its benefits). The digest suggests that good teachers who provide supportive environments for…

This digest discusses a project conducted in the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, that sought to integrate effective practices in literacy education, an empirically based cooperative learning model, and a classroom management model to help teachers develop the English and Spanish language proficiency of their students. The…