Cooperative learning is gaining the attention of vocational educators who must prepare students for employment in a workplace increasingly focused on teamwork. It is a model that provides opportunities for students to explore concepts and develop interpersonal skills that enhance their learning. Research shows that cooperative learning promotes…

This manual presents activities designed to encourage speaking in elementary and secondary school German language classes at the novice and intermediate proficiency levels. Following guidelines outlined in the Utah "Foreign Language Mastery Curriculum Guide," each of the activities is identified according to the topic, level, and…

This manual presents information about Iowa's 1991 summer reading program, whose theme, "Super Summer Reader," celebrates both children and reading, as well as the "super people" found throughout history, in local communities, and in families. The manual contains a planning guide that is arranged by the following topics:…

Middle school students need to develop self-esteem, flexible and inquiring minds, relatively close human relationships, and a sense of belonging and purpose or usefulness. This paper discusses an effective middle school activities program at the Leawood Middle School in Leawood, Kansas, which helps meet these identified needs. The Leawood program…

This unit, one of six which comprise the Fair Play program, is designed to develop decision-making skills in middle school students. The Fair Play program is a series of student and teacher materials the purpose of which is to help students expand their female or male self-concepts, increase their decision-making skills, and improve their academic…

This resource book provides guidelines for planning, developing, and implementing outdoor education programs for disabled youth. Part 1 offers a step by step approach to developing a program that focuses on the use of the natural environment as the primary learning element. Advice is given on individualizing the program, consistent with…

Part of the Australian "Reading Around Series," this document offers a set of guidelines for fostering cooperative learning in a language arts classroom. The problems with competitive and/or individual learning, and the reasoning behind cooperative learning, are presented in the first section of the document. The second section outlines…

The first of two papers describes the author's experiences teaching a narrow-cast instructional development course at Indiana University. Among the disadvantages of the experience were the logistics of coordinating the instructional activities between two campuses, additional preparation time requirements, diminished student-teacher interactions,…

Arguing that curriculum developers need to seek a better understanding of existing classroom orders before advising reform through new technology, this paper presents a review of research on the effects of microcomputers on the stabilities of classroom practice and describes a pilot study currently underway at Queens University in Ontario to…

A study using microcomputers for instruction in sentence-building skills with two groups of American Indians in bilingual education programs found computer-assisted instruction to be effective in developing differential skills in the different age groups. The method used small group activity at the computer, emphasizing the cooperative learning…

Advice is given for institutions applying for Group Projects Abroad (GPA) grants. Information is based on the successfuil planning and implementation of projects for preservice teachers in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. An outline and discussion is offered of factors that must be carefully examined to assure success of a GPA proposal: (1) quality of the…

A joint venture between the Nebraska Research Coordinating Unit (RCU) for Vocational Education and the Central Technical Community College Area (CTCCA) was conducted to design intensified, individualized and group-oriented instructional programs in personnel development for the entrepreneur. Phase I of the project involved developing relevant…

The material on backpack cookery has been written with the classroom teacher in mind, but it can be adapted by camp leaders, 4-H clubs, scouting organizations, and other youth groups. Basic instructions in planning and preparing meals for the backpacking trip are given, along with a discussion on traveling light and a list of essential and…

This guidebook is designed for teachers of physical education at both the elementary and secondary levels. It is divided into six sections. The first section presents an overview of the scope and purpose of physical education in the schools. Discussions are included on developmental objectives, growth characteristics, physical fitness, safety in…

This study investigates biracial learning teams and cross-racial friendship and interaction in desegregated junior high schools. Subjects were 424 seventh and eighth grade students in twelve English classes (164 of them black, 256 white, and 4 Asian). Each of five teachers taught 1-2 experimental classes and 1-2 control classes for ten weeks.…