Strengths of the committee system and its value for colleges and universities are discussed. College committees provide more people with the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. Leadership is provided to a committee by a chairperson who acts as a facilitator. The value of a committee depends on the scope of its mission, the…

Research supported in part by Office of Economic Opportunity contract No. IED 1-66-12.

Recent investigations of the effects on group output of competitive contingencies, reward deliveries to group members contingent upon achieving a higher or lower task rate than another group, have suggested that competitive contingencies are a positive function of group output. When rewards are contingent upon a higher comparison outcome, group…

Describes a competition involving political science honors students in which teams from Miami and Purdue universities prepared and delivered papers taking opposing positions on contemporary topics. Reviews the benefits of the project for students and their teachers and suggests ways similar benefits can be achieved using a student cluster approach…

Two investigators developed a Web-based teambuilding instructional and activities module to improve the collaboration skills of team members involved in online collaboration. This module was formatively evaluated using 24 graduate students who were enrolled in an online course that assigned two online team projects during the Fall 2000 semester.…

The impact of individual or cooperative goal structures on the achievement, interpersonal behavior, and attitudes of learning disabled (LD) and non-LD students (grades seven and eight) was studied. Cooperative goals, especially following training in cooperative behavior, may facilitate achievement and interpersonal relations of LD and non-LD…

This study examined the effect that instruction about and participation in groupwork/cooperative learning had on preservice teachers' attitudes toward cooperative learning, especially their knowledge of related academic and social benefits, and their pedagogical competence to organize classrooms for group work/cooperative learning. Surveys…

Data are presented from a study of cooperative learning as a teaching strategy in teacher education courses. Two university methods courses were restructured to incorporate learning teams and interactive practice activities. Results indicated that students who had difficulty mastering specific content performed better with cooperative learning…

Presents class activities to help elementary teachers prepare their students for cooperative learning. Phase one involves building team spirit and appreciating differences. Phase two includes strategies for trying substantial cooperative projects. Phase three offers ideas for adding cooperation to basic subject areas all year long. (SM)

The Future Problem Solving Program aims to empower potential leaders to manage change successfully. It involves teams of students using a structured, creative problem-solving model to tackle controversial issues for the future; writing scenarios creating alternative futures; and planning for and implementing real solutions to real problems in…

Instructional methods that seek to promote learning through student cooperation, rather than competition, are discussed in this handbook. Sections include an outline of the characteristics of cooperative learning techniques; a summary of research on the effects of cooperative learning on academic achievement, ethnic relations, mainstreaming, and…

A study examined the relative merits of individual and cooperative methods of vocabulary instruction in the seventh grade. It was hypothesized that socialization would act as a motivating force among these adolescents, and that those involved in paired instruction would show increased vocabulary retention. Students in both control (individual) and…

Cooperative learning methods capitalize on the heterogeneous student bodies of most urban schools. They appear to foster better student achievement than individualistic methods, to increase cross-ethnic friendships, and to improve students' self-esteem and positive attitudes toward other students and the school. Six currently published cooperative…

This ERIC Digest describes research findings, mainly in elementary social studies classrooms, on the effects of cooperative learning on multicultural awareness and cross-ethnic friendships, interpersonal relationships, and prosocial behavior. Research findings on cooperative techniques in the classroom are summarized as follows: compared with…

This interview discusses control theory (based on humans' psychological needs for love, power, freedom, and fun) and its potential for transforming students' classroom learning experience. By adopting the teamwork approach used in extracurricular activities, teachers can help students gain satisfaction and a sense of their own importance. (MLH)