Relates experiences in teaching children's literature to practicing teachers; suggests that teacher-students be put through exactly the same experiences as they will ask their pupils to go through, and reports that it is very effective to have teacher-students work in teams to explore literary texts or teaching problems. (GT)

To optimize professional preparation and ensure the transition of positive attitudes about teamwork from education to practice, educators must offer students opportunities to participate in well-designed, positive group activities grounded in theory. This paper presents an activity that provides class project groups a chance to work through the…

Cooperative lesson plans are presented for the following: current events for middle and high school; lessons on group process for elementary school; cooperative collage making to summarize a unit; group thank-you letters after an excursion; a team-building/language development lesson; and a values lesson on "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." (JD)

A four-prong instructional model for intellectual-skills development is described. The four prongs are: familiarization, intra-group problem solving, inter-group problem solving, and individual problem solving. A psychological model of what is to be taught, the triarchic theory of human intelligence, provides the underpinning of the instructional…

Views cooperative learning methods as tools which have the potential for ensuring maximum success for students and instilling democratic values. Identifies four formal methods for structuring cooperative learning activities. Points out that development of appropriate tasks along with preparation of students for group work and role playing are…

Students in work groups are more active learners and more motivated and enthusiastic about mathematics than students working in achievement groups. Acutely needed are curriculum materials for teachers to use with work groups and greater curriculum coordination across grades. Sidebars provide two lesson synopses for grades three and five. Includes…

The Future Problem Solving Program involves teams of students from grades 4-12 in creative problem solving. The teams complete practice problems and competitive problems. Winning teams go on to state and international competitions. Other program components include noncompetitive problem solving for primary-level students, community problem…

Reviews literature on critical thinking and physical education. Suggests that students in physical education classes are predisposed to critical thinking, but only in an environment that is carefully structured. Argues that teachers must shift from teacher-centered to more student-centered lessons. Discusses the role of the teacher, cooperative…

Provides guidelines for preparing successful school library media center staff orientations. Discusses outlining major items of information; listing goals for the presentation; starting with a slide show; and designing and implementing a team-based staff activity that includes a section for identifying personal goals and a reward for completion.…

The creation of isomorphic activities can be accomplished when an instructor with a broad repertoire of activities applies a clear definition of purpose to a strong understanding of the clients involved. Experiential education is based on the use of experience to increase human potential. In order to capitalize on specific behaviors for focused…

The resource guide is intended to assist local Arkansas school districts to establish a program for improving the parent educator partnership in planning and implementing appropriate educational programs for handicapped students. The guide should be used in conjunction with a needs assessment of parents and educators to identify appropriate…

This Teacher Manual is designed to help the teacher use the four films with maximum effect. While students will learn a great deal just by viewing them, it is essential to involve students in preparatory and follow-up activities using the facts and issues presented in the films. The Teacher Manual provides the following materials to help use the…

The Action Socialization Experiences (ASE) presented in this guide are modified Outward Bound initiative tests developed at the New Jersey School of Conservation to be used as an introduction to group problem solving. The ASE process is described as follows: teachers are assigned a specific problem for a 2-hour period and briefed on techniques of…

This guide presents Cooperation/Competition (C/C) as the next stage in the evolution of cooperative learning, with its unique ability to mobilize the powerful forces of intergroup and individual competition to supplement cooperative learning's teamwork. In C/C, teachers group students into homogeneous or heterogeneous learning teams, with teams…

The purpose of this paper is to describe the pedagogical background and design rationale of ITCOLE (Innovative Technology for Collaborative Learning) software. The ITCOLE software is a highly scalable and easy to use modular environment that supports students' joint efforts to build knowledge together, whether they are primary, secondary, or older…