This paper focuses on the scientific dialogue of a small group following an experiment on motion under gravity. This research was designed to investigate ways in which practical activities can be used to foster links between upper elementary children's spontaneous concepts and Newtonian mechanics. Implicit in this is the notion that teaching…

Investigates the influence of the teacher's presence/absence on primary children's group work in a World Studies class. Discovered that, although children generally remain on task, the teacher's presence resulted in improved quality and consistency. Includes tables of statistical and observational data, as well as excerpts from the students'…

CSCL systems which follow the dual-interaction spaces paradigm support the synchronous construction and discussion of shared artifacts by distributed or colocated small groups of learners. The most recent generic dual-interaction space environments, either model based or component based, can be deeply customized by teachers for supporting…

The study described here studied perspectives of mid-career teachers from minority and Anglo backgrounds on collaborative intellectual work and examined the ideologies underlying these perspectives. Analysis focused on the teachers' dialogical interaction in a small group (4 teachers) and a large group (28 teachers) in relation to immediate and…

This paper presents a description and analysis of the work of a group of primary grade teachers who decided to study their practices and engage their students in inquiry. Their school was in a lower socioeconomic area with a multiethnic student body. The political nature of their work is documented via two themes that emerged from their work. The…

This student guide is intended to assist persons employed as supervisors to develop and participate in quality circles. Discussed in the first three sections are the following topics: the purpose of quality circles (what a quality circle is, why quality circles developed, how they work, and the roles of various quality circle participants);…

This resource manual presents guidelines and effective techniques for people who want to acquire group facilitation skills. It is a valuable resource for anyone planning or presenting a workshop; trainers or teachers interested in innovative classroom techniques; and anyone involved in a group as leader, facilitator, or participant. The manual…

The Minnesota Project on Ethnic America inaugurated an experimental program to explore the problems of a culturally diverse college population in a small setting. The program utilized techniques borrowed from related programs and reflects recent social sciences findings on the continued impact of the ethnic factor in American society. The…

This collaborative paper, created online by Ph.D students in a three-year cohort learning program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, explores the development and felt experience of distance learning. The purpose is to give a sense of how it feels to learn online and to describe the essence of learning. Results of this collaborative…

Theoretical foundation of Response mechanisms in networks of online learners are revealed by Statistical Analysis of p* Markov Models for the Networks. Our comparative analysis of two networks shows that the minimal-effort hunt-for-social-capital mechanism controls a major behavior of both networks: negative tendency to respond. Differences in…

This book presents a systematic approach to developing a new college course involving, first, global analysis; second, thought, planning, and methodical preparation; and, third, evaluation of results. Chapter 1 recommends that the teacher examine the conditions of the teaching situation including reasons for the course, resources available, and…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 18 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) ways of conceptualizing and evaluating group discussion; (2) participant observations of communication themes in families facing death; (3) perceptions of…

To determine the relative contribution of team competition and peer group practice sessions to the effectiveness of a classroom instructional technique, Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT), 299 seventh grade mathematics students participated in an experiment varying reward system (team vs. individual competition) with practice mode (group vs.…

The instructor's guide to the course designed to acquaint supervisors, with such behavioral science theories as motivation, leadership, group dynamics, and change, stresses student participation through group discussion, role-playing, incident-process case discussion, and management simulation or games. The course is organized around four themes…

This book is used throughout the life skills coach training course. The content focuses on increasing the understanding the training material and to assist in coaching life skills students. The course, based on adult training and counseling methods, involves the development of problem-solving behaviors in the management of personal affairs. The…