The small size of college composition classes encourages exciting and meaningful interaction, especially when students are divided into smaller, autonomous groups for all or part of the hour. This booklet discusses the advantages of combining the inquiry method (sometimes called the discovery method) with a group approach and describes specific…

Two learning activities employing pair work, or cooperative learning between two students studying the other's native language as a second language, are described. The activities allow students to compare how their languages function in real-life situations and to acquire the second language appropriate to these situations. (CB)

Teachers are given too much power in a reading classroom. We choose the texts, design the course syllabuses, and put up a written exam after another written exam. However, we cannot stop our students from becoming book haters as soon as they leave our classroom. By implementing literature circles, we teachers might return the power back to our…

This study continues the research into Web-based learning by examining a mid-level Web-based learning environment as a support for an informal learning experience. The informal learning situation was a group of undergraduate students that were Fellows in the Honors program and who served as the selection committee for the finalists of a global…

Online collaborative documents can be used effectively for conducting collaborative research and for learning collaboratively via the Internet. Collaborative documents are dedicated online workspaces that allow individuals or groups to use the Internet to share their work with others, edit it, and finalize it. This paper identifies Basic Support…

Research shows that learning in groups improves students' achievement of learning objectives. Some indicate that a facilitator will smooth the process of collaboration (Johnson et al, 1987; Hooper, 1992; Moore and Kearsley, 1996; Brandon & Hollingshead, 1999; Bernard et al, 2000). Advocates for peer-controlled collaboration claim that learners…

This study described the effects of a course on cooperative learning (CL) for student teachers. The course was conducted at two teacher education colleges in The Netherlands. Data collection included observation of the desired CL teaching behaviors and elementary students' engagement rates during cooperative activities; surveys of preservice…

Since the late 1800s, factors that stimulated growth of outing clubs at colleges and universities included the desire to get outdoors and explore and the clubs' ability to provide outdoor training, access, and equipment. Outing clubs were initially formed by students. The outing clubs at Williams College, Dartmouth, and Allegheny College were all…

Describes and evaluates a classroom behavior management training program in terms of student attitudes toward the activities. Results indicate students low in self-sufficiency had more positive attitudes toward group oriented activities. Suggests this evaluation approach can be used as a model for assessment of specific classroom activities.…

An instructional unit in housing design created to address problems of group work in higher education is described and evaluated. Students and educators were consulted and literature reviewed for salient issues. The new unit was piloted with students. Results show design of group projects should address: project organization, assessment, balance…

Describes a simulation that enhances student ability to gain a perspective on the opposite sex and their world view. Includes a guided mental imagery trip in which the instructor asks questions about daily activities and role reversal simulations using group activity. Cautions that debriefing is essential for success. (KO)

A forestry and agronomy course at Iowa State University incorporates problem-based team projects on real-world situations as a means of providing students with integrative and meaningful experiential learning. Student evaluations of these courses indicate that students recognize and appreciate the integrative nature of the problem-based team…

Asserts that whether students engage in creative and critical thinking depends on how teachers structure the learning situation. Contends that using "academic controversy" among students provides a basis for deliberate discourse and creative problem solving. Presents a five-step instructional model to guide students. (CFR)

Describes problems in teaching problem solving and summarizes research in this area. Presents Guided Design or Guided Decision Making as a problem-solving approach in which groups of students work their way through a model of the problem-solving process as they wrestle with a discipline-specific situation. (PR)

Reports on a collaborative learning project in which college-level counseling students designed and presented workshops on therapeutic intervention. Finds workshops stimulated more personal involvement with the topic and individual written papers ensured that all shared the workload. Concludes that workshops prepare students for collaborative…