This paper presents 14 cooperative learning lesson plans and related handouts suitable for use in communication courses. The paper begins with 8 handouts that deal with objectives; criteria; differences between the old paradigm and the new paradigm based on cooperative learning; positive interdependences; group differences between cooperative…

A practicum was designed to help high school students become more creative by encouraging them to be audacious, divergent thinkers capable of entertaining several contradictory ideas simultaneously. Tolerating paradox and ambiguity are vital components in developing creativity. These goals were achieved by developing a nurturing, caring, accepting…

Whatever the view an educator takes of collaborative learning, it does seem that it takes a lot of class time. However, computer networking capabilities allow for all the advantages of collaborative learning without requiring the instructor to devote large blocks of precious in-class time to encourage it. Five good ways to use networking…

This resource explores how mutual friendships and diversity of social contacts influence literacy learning (such as in reading and writing workshops) in the primary grades. The strengths of friends working together seem to be a function of the cycle of conflict, resolution, and reflection that occurs. This cognitive decentering and the…

The possibility of life on other planets holds enormous fascination for people of all ages. This interdisciplinary learning kit uses that theme to launch scientific learning in young students. Through a series of hands-on activities, it directs participants to solve an outer space mystery thereby acquiring and developing scientific knowledge and…

This book describes a comprehensive strategy for getting to know students learning behaviors and includes everything from theoretical constructs to projects for classroom use. Glosses direct the reader to further information on subjects discussed in the book: cognitive science, brain science, learning styles, multiple intelligences, and…

The first stage of a 3-part research project designed to assess the appropriateness of using cooperative learning groups in communication courses with a significant oral performance component, a study assessed student perceptions about the appropriateness of using cooperative learning groups in a communication class with more than half of the…

This survey of literature discusses the content and research methodology of 25 articles on creative writing written since 1988. It is divided into sections covering articles discussing (1) definitions of creativity; (2) theoretical aspects of teaching creative writing; (3) specific teaching methods; (4) journal writing to discuss literature; and…

Personal narrative writing can be encouraged and used effectively in classes and in in-service workshops because it is accessible, because the writers may use their own voices, because they can tell their own stories, and because it helps them to make sense of their own experiences. However strong the case made for this form, though, there are…

This paper reports on a case study focusing on the development of students' capacity to develop and assess arguments in the context of instruction in high school genetics. It is part of a wider project whose goals were: (1) the identification of the conditions for argument (and in general scientific reasoning) to occur in science classrooms; (2)…

This paper considers different forms of classroom interaction, focusing particularly on cooperation, the different forms of cooperation, and the functionality of these forms with regard to learning opportunities. The form of student cooperation evaluated is defined as help. The research context is Gotz Krummheuer's project on the reconstruction of…

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…

This paper is an overview of cooperative learning and its application at the college level. Cooperative learning is defined as occuring when small groups of students work together to maximize their own and each other's learning. The essential elements of cooperative learning include positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, individual…

In response to that fact that, since 1991, almost 60% of students had received failing grades on midterm exams in a general psychology course, the instructor undertook a project to apply principles of total quality management (TQM) to identify the causes of poor achievement. Efforts ware made to help students discover their mistakes, and thus…

This book is designed to provide teachers with numerous ideas about how to infuse mathematics and writing into their classroom in creative and challenging ways and to encourage students to visualize, speak, and write about math. The activities described here can help students communicate mathematically and realize that there is more to math than…