"A Critical Pedagogy of Embodied Education" outlines the pedagogy of activism and the process of learning to become an activist. Based on empirical research conducted in Australia, it explores the embodied learning of activists as they learn to be and become activists. This book, unlike any current publication on social purpose…

Group play interventions are used to meet a broad range of developmental needs in children from various backgrounds. This book is for mental health practitioners working with children aged 5 through 12 to help them learn important social skills and self-control strategies such as making friends, asking for and offering help, controlling hands and…

In this landmark book, Scott Page redefines the way we understand ourselves in relation to one another. "The Difference" is about how we think in groups--and how our collective wisdom exceeds the sum of its parts. Why can teams of people find better solutions than brilliant individuals working alone? And why are the best group decisions…

A new paradigm for computer-supported cooperative work and a research agenda for developing and testing this paradigm are proposed. The book outlines a comprehensive model of collaboration that integrates the cognitive/conceptual and social dynamics of groups. The challenge faced by all groups engaged in intellectual work is to divide the task so…

This book is intended to assist group leaders, teachers, counselors, and peer helpers in the development of relationships and active learning. The first chapter, "Icebreakers," begins with an overview that explains the nature, purpose, and importance of these activities. Icebreakers are used to help group members learn about each other in a…

The purpose of this book is to present information about communicating in terms of "if-then" propositions that are based on scientific study. The book consists of two sections--Communication Behavior and Communication Experiments. The chapters in the first section of this book consider relationships, messages, information diffusion, and achieving…

Group effectiveness is determined by many things. It takes long and exacting effort to discover the precise combination that unlocks the door to success. Although many of the forces that shape group behavior may be intangible, involving subtle factors of personality, much of group activity can be analyzed scientifically. In this booklet, the ninth…

This branching programmed instructional workbook focuses on how people behave when they hear messages. Included are materials on audience/receiver behavior and a self-instructional supplement to materials that are a part of other communication studies. Drawings and diagrams illustrate the discussions of self-analysis, selection of audiences and…

The effect of feedback on group cohesiveness (measured in terms of group and task attractiveness) for a person who is performing a simple, highly repetitive task was studied. One hundred business administration students, randomly assigned to five member groups, completed a series of trials having the goal of determining the number commonly held by…

The relationship between the amount of television watching and level of family tension was studied through interviews carried out in 64 Minneapolis households. Tension levels were found to be higher in families with high levels of television watching, particularly in households with a high population density. There appears to be a strong…

The concept of behavior settings--the environments shaping individual behavior--was originated by Roger Barker in 1950 in connection with his community surveys in a small Kansas town, code-named Midwest. This book seeks to provide rural social scientists with an understanding of Barker's eco-behavioral approach and proposed adaptations of it to…

At their worst, meetings can waste time, lack focus, foster a combative spirit, or be just plain boring. At their best, meetings can be a positive, dynamic experience that nurtures individual strengths while inspiring teamwork to successfully accomplish an established task. The fate of a meeting lies in the skill of the facilitator, and this…

This guide discusses the use of focus groups in marketing research for higher education. It describes the differences between qualitative and quantitative research, and examines when it is appropriate to use focus group research, when it is not, and why. The guide describes a step-by-step approach in how to plan, formulate, moderate, and report…

Many children with emotional and behavioural difficulties behave well in a one-to-one situation with an adult. It is when they are in a group with their peers that their behaviour deteriorates dramatically. The more teachers understand about group dynamics, the better equipped they will be to support children who find such skills as turn-taking…

The practice of hazing in college fraternities, sororities, high school clubs, professional societies, business, the military, and secret societies is investigated. Through the retelling of actual stories involving hazing, the book addresses the questions of why men and women haze and allow themselves to be hazed, how the problems of hazing can be…