Discusses the major benefits that emerge for students and teachers when groups of six students discuss a book they are reading without teacher questions to structure and guide their interactions. Shows that books mixing narrative and exposition have the greatest potential to enhance student discussion. (SR)

Discusses integration of Lev Vygotsky's theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) with the instructional strategy of cooperative learning. ZPD provides a conceptual basis for explaining the five basic tenets of cooperative learning: positive interdependence; face-to-face interaction; individual accountability; small-group and interpersonal…

A study examined effects of a tactile prompting device (the Gentle Reminder) as a prompt for a 9-year-old student with autism to make verbal initiations about play activities. Results indicate that the device serves as an effective, unobtrusive prompt for verbal initiations during play contexts and during cooperative learning activities.…

Reviews effective inclusive teaching techniques, including multilevel instruction, activity-based and experiential learning, student-directed learning and self-determination, cooperative learning and peer collaboration, multiaged classrooms and heterogeneous grouping, individualized and adaptive instruction, teaching as facilitating student…

Identifies and analyzes some recurrent problems with the implementation of cooperative and active learning strategies. Addresses the use of questions, management of instructor-centered activities, management of in-class group activities, and relinquishing forms of control in the classroom. (Author/ASK)

Reviews literature on critical thinking and physical education. Suggests that students in physical education classes are predisposed to critical thinking, but only in an environment that is carefully structured. Argues that teachers must shift from teacher-centered to more student-centered lessons. Discusses the role of the teacher, cooperative…

Reports on the productivity of different modes of classroom talk: whole class, pair work, and individual. Pair work was shown to provide the most optimum conditions for participant effort and productivity of ideas; however, each type of talk offers distinct benefits to teachers and students. Contains 25 references. (Author/WRM)

Assesses students in a statistics laboratory of an educational psychology course for mathematics self-concept and mathematics anxiety at the beginning and end of the course. Finds that self-concept improves in a positive learning environment but that anxiety does not decrease. Reports that attitudinal factors are mediated by prior experience in…

Describes a project for composition classes in which groups of five to six students conceive, write, design, print, and bind a book of their writings. Discusses methodology, defining form and content of the books, offering guidance, use of in-class time, evaluation, grading, and the results. Notes that the quality of student writing dramatically…

Examined the effectiveness of a cooperative-learning group structure and direct instruction in promoting social communication of 14 delinquent female adolescents. Participants were assigned to one of three cooperative-learning groups to receive 12 30-minute social-communication training sessions. Systematic increases in communication skills were…

Describes the use in business-communication classes of Team Learning, an approach to teaching in which students spend approximately 80% of their in-class time working in permanent, heterogeneous teams, becoming active and responsible participants in the learning process. Describes the instructional activity sequence, getting started, forming the…

Cooperative learning improves students' learning motivation in a diverse college student population by creating a favorable disposition toward the learning experience through personal relevance and choice; creating an understanding that learners are effective in learning something they value; and creating challenging, thoughtful learning…

Proposes that one goal in teaching stratification is to illustrate how powerfully stratification shapes society. Discusses an effort to stimulate critical thinking through student research projects. Lists three goals: involve students in research; show how race, class, and gender impact everyday life; and clarify the importance of these issues to…

Examines the relationships among the sociability of children, their dyadic problem-solving behavior, and their subsequent level of individual performance. Finds that sociable children more often initiate collaboration; less sociable children exhibit more individualistic behavior; and collaboration effects on individual performance vary by the…

Study investigates the effects of a structured reading-comprehension technique, reciprocal teaching, on postsecondary students at risk for academic failure. The sample included at-risk students enrolled in a community college who participated in either the reciprocal teaching or cooperative-learning condition. Results and implications for the…