While carefully plotted lesson plans are invaluable in a classroom, tuning into the flow of the moment is just as essential. My experience has shown me that the most effective teaching happens when everyone in the room is in synch with one another. Teaching requires intuiting what each student is experiencing individually and adjusting in order to…

Although most business students participate in team-based projects during undergraduate or graduate course work, the team experience does not always teach team skills or capture the team members' potential: Students complete the task at hand but the explicit process of becoming a team is often not learned. Drawing from organizational learning…

It is widely agreed that college students do not fully participate in the political process. The most commonly cited reasons are apathy, indifference, and ignorance. This article presents an activity that aims to help students learn about communication dynamics in the context of political campaigns and develop an appreciation and confidence about…

After a brief review of integrative small group learning models that have appeared in the educational psychology literature, this article then looks into the group dynamics literature and describes one of that field's most well-documented findings: that interactions among group members change somewhat predictably over time. How theorists from…

Examines the components constituting autonomy in second language learning. The article focuses on helping students make and execute choices in the domains of communication, learning, and their personal life. These components form the basis of a conceptual framework for coordinating strategies to help learners develop autonomy. (24 references)…

Examines the ways in which authority and power operate in the classroom. Uses two metaphors to describe the poles of classroom dynamics (the love-relationship and the battlefield model). Suggests that the processes of writing and reading as interpretation and discovery can act as a more suggestive instructional model. (CMK)

Examines traditional outdoor education leadership training, emphasizing value of "soft" or "people" skills. Describes how Experiential Leadership Education, a systematic approach to teaching outdoor leadership, uses three teaching and group dynamics models. Examines Experiential Leadership Education applications. Suggests…

The use of new and advanced technologies has a significant potential to impact the way students communicate in a number of contexts and settings. Many students will find themselves in both academic and career situations where computer-mediated communication (CMC) group interaction will be necessary. As a result, it is important to integrate…

Experienced undergraduate students served as Peer Learning Assistants (PLAs) to facilitate group process and dynamics in cooperative learning groups. Use of this model in large classes (150 students) resulted in significant improvement in group performance and satisfaction with group experience. PLAs defused conflict within groups, and faculty…

Maintains that cooperative learning produces higher achievement, more positive relationships among students, and healthier psychological adjustment than do competitive or individualistic experiences. Describes a cooperative learning core module complete with course content and assessment strategies. Discusses advantages, disadvantages, and student…