Group projects enable students to build valuable critical thinking and communication skills that are increasingly required for success in the agricultural industry. Group projects provide well-documented benefits; however, associated challenges lead to student and instructor reluctance to engage in group work in the college classroom.…

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in New Zealand schools closing and teaching occurring through digital media. This article reports research which applied Kearney et al.'s framework as a lens to examine student experience of digital learning at home during COVID-19. This framework provides three characteristics that influence learners' experience…

This article describes the conversion of a lecture-based molecular biology course into an active learning environment in a studio classroom. Specific assignments and activities are provided as examples. The goal of these activities is to involve students in collaborative learning, teach them how to participate in the learning process, and give…

While the remarkable accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin are unparalleled, the means of their attainment can be considered more accessible to ordinary people and not necessarily attributable to a special genius. The steady development of Franklin's knowledge and skills is traced in light of a new model of "dynamic learning," which is a method…

This paper investigates how the organization or structure of information and resources in shared workspaces influences team sharing and design learning. Two groupware products, BSCW and TikiWiki, were configured so that teams could structure and share resources. In BSCW the resources were structured hierarchically using folders and subfolders…

The traditional system of direct instruction focuses on students' acquiring a body of knowledge and developing related skills. It has been recognized for some time now that direct instruction needs to be combined with more humanistic methods of education, which invite students to be more actively involved in the learning process and are focused on…

Describes a California high school English class's creation of various authentic learning activities to bring Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov" to life. For any activity to be perceived as genuine, students must be able to apply what they are learning to their lives; there must be a goal worthy of students' and teachers' commitment and…

Challenges inhibiting forms of individualistic competition and presents use of cooperative learning as an effective method for conflict resolution and interpersonal skill building. Sees cooperative approach for classroom use as both developmental and ongoing. (Author/NB)

Discusses the importance of cooperative learning, focusing on what is and is not a cooperative effort; types of cooperative learning; an example of integrated use of cooperative learning; cooperative schools; basic elements of cooperation; and what is known about cooperative efforts (related to achievement, interpersonal relationship, and…

Presents a process model developed for interaction and mathematical level raising focusing on the individual learning process and relates this model to research. The model is meant to show how level raising can be realized by allowing students to work in small groups on a mathematical problem. Contains 24 references. (Author/ASK)

Discusses two dimensions of equity within small-group learning--access and equitable relations--describing complex instruction (CI) as an approach that lets educators address these issues. CI teachers use cooperative learning to teach at high academic levels in diverse classrooms. The paper describes CI in action, achievement results in CI…

This document offers an overview of the Houston READ Commission (HRC), a nonprofit urban literacy coalition created by the Mayor and City Council in the Greater Houston area. It describes how the coalition of community organizations first came together in 1988, in response to a survey's finding that there are over one million functionally…

This document describes the programs and services offered by the Houston READ Commission (HRC), a nonprofit urban literacy coalition created by the Mayor and City Council of the Greater Houston area. After highlighting what HRC provides for the community, the document provides brief descriptions of general programs and services, talks about the…

This document highlights some of the success stories resulting from the activities of the Houston READ Commission (HRC), a nonprofit urban literacy coalition created by the Mayor and City Council of the Greater Houston area. It relates the stories of "those who are the future," lists gifts which support HRC programs, and donors and…

This article examines how schools can ensure the well-being of gifted children. It discusses the benefits of acceleration and critiques the practice of cooperative learning. The need to challenge gifted students in highly systematic and informed ways, wherein learning takes place just within intellectual reach, is urged. (Contains 1 reference.)…