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)

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…

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.…

Effective problem-solving skills are critical in dealing with ambiguous and often complex issues in the present-day leaner and globally diverse organizations. Yet respected, well-established problem-solving models may be misaligned within the current work environment, particularly within a team context. Models learned from a more bureaucratic,…

While classroom instruction can and should still be used to teach students the fundamentals of engineering, the key to their ultimate success is learning to use that knowledge in a real-world setting. Out-of-class activities, like the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) National Concrete Canoe Competition, not only give students a hands-on…

This study investigated the effect of different gender and ability composition on students' behaviors, interactions, and learning outcomes during small cooperative group activities. The study involved Year 6 children (N=440) who were assigned to one of 12 four-person groups that were either gender-balanced or gender-imbalanced with different…

Sequencing in adventure education involves putting activities in an order appropriate to the needs of the group. Contrary to the common assumption that each adventure sequence is unique, a review of literature concerning five sequencing models reveals a certain universality. These models present sequences that move through four phases: group…

This paper describes an attempt to introduce 33 education majors to the concept of cooperative learning as a teaching method they may use when they are classroom teachers. The benefits of cooperative learning for young students are briefly discussed, and an explanation is given of the "Student Teams Achievement Divisions" (STAD) system of grade…

Too often inadequate preparation in facilitating an outdoor experience is the rule and the subsequent group experience suffers. In an organization like Outward Bound where areas are used repeatedly, an evolutionary form of reconnaissance is often adequate. However, for school groups, this form of reconnaissance is not practical since too few of…

This report explicates the concrete group development of a cadre of persons from Simeon High School, the University of Chicago, and the Board of Education in the summer sector of the Ford Training and Placement Program. The report is organized around crucial indices of group development, i.e., the problem of leadership. Data were collected from…

Presents a group sales project to culminate the business communication course, an activity which integrates the oral and written communication skills important in the work place. (MS)

Recounts a teacher's successful search for a game that would reinforce her students' grasp of English grammar. (NKA)

Despite the increased emphasis on team work in the academic environment, managing a student team so that the team process is effective remains problematic. In fact, some professors believe students are being taught ineffective team behavior such as free loading or relying on star performers and procrastination . Most research on student team…

Challenge and adventure programs create situations that challenge the abilities of individuals and groups and that are metaphors for the problems and challenges of daily life. This book describes dozens of group activities that foster individual and group skills such as cooperation, problem solving, and communication. Each activity has a…