Collaborative learning has long been investigated for its benefits to learners. Prior research indicates that collaboration may help students develop more sophisticated arguments and learn more effectively. While a great deal of research has been completed on how elementary students collaborate, there has been little research on how they…

As part of a 3-year longitudinal study, 136 sixth-grade students completed an engineering-based problem on earthquakes involving integrated STEM learning. Students employed engineering design processes and STEM disciplinary knowledge to plan, sketch, then construct a building designed to withstand earthquake damage, taking into account a number of…

Introduces three design challenges for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students created by the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. Presents information on Space Day and the National Classroom and provides Internet site addresses. (YDS)

Exploration of collaboration preferences of six mathematically gifted children (ages 11-12) in solving complex, novel problems found collaboration was preferred only when the task was sufficiently challenging. When collaboration was encouraged there was the development of mutual scaffolding, shared cognition, critical thinking, and discernment and…

Studied gender and social comparison effects in computer-based problem solving in studies involving 62 11- and 12-year-olds working in pairs on computers without verbal interaction (co-action) and 96 children working in co-action or interaction pairs. Polarization of sex differences was found in the co-action condition but not the interaction…

This paper discusses a cognitive model of how action agendas and goals emerge through the dynamics of self-organization in collaborative activities. While machines are designed to perform a function, or goal, humans are self-organizing systems that set their own goals and produce order without having external order imposed on them, or, more…

This study developed a method to assess group process in a collaborative problem-solving situation. Participants were 32 fifth- and sixth-grade students. Students in seven collaborative groups worked on a two-part mathematics problem first individually, then in groups, and finally individually again. Groups engaging in behaviors that facilitated…

Describes a variation on a problem from the history of mathematics in which the class is divided into cooperative learning groups of four students each. Each group is challenged to find a procedure for resolving the situation with several solutions emerging. Emphasizes the importance of examining "incorrect" answers and discussing the…

The Students Teaching Students cooperative learning method for gifted middle school students has four components: research, team work, presentation, and evaluation. During the presentation phase, students are required to incorporate three basic learning styles (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic) and be sensitive to their audience's response.…

Items in the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory's (NCREL) School Development Library series are multimedia packages consisting of print, video, and CD-ROM resources designed to support educators in their efforts to improve classroom instruction. This particular set consists of a 40-minute video and a printed booklet focusing on Dwight…

This paper examined a problem-solving partnership where both partners actively participated and where there were conflicting points of view. After several weeks of observation of an entire fifth grade class working in small groups, a dyad of two boys was selected for closer examination. Nonroutine mathematics problems were used as tasks. A…

A reading comprehension program was developed and implemented that addressed the needs of sixth-grade students. The program focused on critical thinking skills using a teamwork approach. Each heterogeneous small group used a checklist composed of before, during, and after reading questions and activities. At the conclusion of the 12-week…

A study of interactions among Swedish intermediate-grade students as they solved a nonstandard mathematics task confronting the phenomenon of infinity shows that the children can reach a considerable understanding of the problem by contextualizing the problem in different ways. The collective orchestration of problem variations results in enhanced…

Examined whether motivational goals influence the participation and performance of low-achieving students during collaborative problem solving with a high achieving partner. Results for 35 pairs of fourth and fifth graders indicate that low-achieving students for whom results were more salient learned more than low achievers who showed no such…

Mathematics problem solving skills need to be developed through meaningful interactions. Computer simulations combined with cooperative learning methods provide students a context within which to construct an understanding of mathematics problem solving. This study examines the distribution and sequence of events that result in acquisition of…