Before students are able to write fairly original, successful, critical essays on literature, they need to become experienced members of the audience for whom they will write, sharing fully the social context of critical writing by becoming part of an interactive, interpretive community. This reader-response technique appears to be the best…

The concept of cooperative goal structuring was examined, along with the effect of one cooperative learning technique (group consensus examinations) on the perceptions and achievement of college students. Cooperative goal structure exists when students perceive that they can obtain their goal only if the other students with whom they work also…

THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE POTENTIALLY FACILITATIVE AND INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION DURING PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WERE (1) TO IDENTIFY THE PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION CRITICAL TO FACILITATING OR INHIBITING PROGRAMED LEARNING, AND (2) TO DETERMINE THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING WORK GROUPS THAT OPTIMIZES…

Over the years that the Institute for Personal Effectiveness in Children has been conducting teacher training workshops in the Human Development Program (HDP), demand has steadily increased for ready reference materials that speak to the issues of implementing the HDP. This manual has been developed to speak specifically to these issues and to act…

Describes a study of the development of a new oral proficiency test which could replace the existing English as a Foreign Language Oral Matriculation test in Israel. The deficiencies of the existing Oral Matriculation test are specified, and the components of the experimental test are described. (Author/SED)

The technique of having college economics students write brief reaction papers in response to assigned readings has been found to be useful in motivating and enhancing student preparedness for classroom discussions. The reaction papers also helped students study for exams and develop writing skills. (MSE)

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of three college courses on attitude change toward older adults. To measure attitude change the Kogan Attitudes Toward Old People Scale (1961) was administered to 221 college students at the beginning and end of the semester. Participants were enrolled in one of three college courses: Child…

Drawing from a five-site multicase study, this paper examines three middle school students' perspectives on weekly classroom discussions that took place over a 6-month period in order to analyze the dynamics of classroom talk and how discussions can be affected by the teacher's interaction with the students. The three students were members of an…

Implementation of cutting-edge technology has enabled higher and postsecondary education to create new learning environments by affording greater access to education for more students via virtual classrooms. Although virtual instruction in its asynchronous mode has been reported as to be at least comparable, and sometimes better than conventional…

This paper criticizes traditional methods of science teaching for decreasing student interest in studying science. It describes cooperative learning and its usefulness in teaching biology so that the study of science becomes a social experience. The paper presents two methods used in biology lecture classes: the Introductory (Icebreaker) Workshop…

Describes the use of cooperative learning groups in junior high school French classes. Summarizes how cooperative learning affects: (1) student attitudes towards French, (2) student relationships with peers, and (3) student-perceived personal gains from this experience. (PMJ)

Maintains that the ways in which students react, absorb, and communicate new information are defined by their perception of the requirements and expectations of their surrounding situation. This information is particularly relevant in designing and implementing school-based drug prevention programs. Provides examples of various situational-based…

Five Aboriginal female high school seniors at a Catholic school in Saskatoon met in "sharing circles" to discuss their experiences and perspectives on success factors for Aboriginal high school students. The medicine wheel was the framework for analyzing student narratives about spirituality; support from family, friends, teachers, and…

Study used focus group interviews with ninth graders to help develop a nutrition education video and teacher's guide for Florida high schools. Students believed a video would be successful, expressed interest in 10 nutrition topics, recommended using teen actors with varying body types, and suggested no more than three or four topics per video.…

Analyzes the interaction during peer response occurring in a writing class. The article identifies four categories of reader stances--authoritative, interpretive, probing, and collaborative--and examines language functions and topics discussed during the response sessions. It is concluded that interactive peer response is beneficial to students.…