Purpose: This paper aims to address the long-standing problem of suboptimal student team experiences for instructors and students by incorporating the student voice by co-creating a virtual team collaborative environment to improve team collaboration in the online classroom. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a novel design science…

Prosocial and Active Learning (PAL) Classrooms is a year-long teacher professional development program designed to increase students' prosocial behavior and engagement in 5th grade mathematics and science classrooms that use active, team-based lessons by altering the way that teachers interact with students using research-based strategies. The…

A group of faculty members representing six colleges at a public university formed a learning community to study the Agile Way of Working--a method of workplace collaboration widely used in software development--and to determine whether the concepts, practices, and benefits of Agile are applicable to higher education settings. After more than two…

The author, the 2014 National Teacher of the Year, discusses why it's important to create a caring classroom culture and shares his strategies for doing so.

There are occasions in life when the competitive process is appropriate. But when people consider the relationships in their lives--with friends, family members, coworkers, and the larger community--they realize the value of cooperation. When adults give children the chance to cooperate, to work together toward a solution or a common goal like…

Belonging to a personally meaningful community of learners is a powerful predictor of a student's retention and academic success. Being part of a community that is intentionally built on recognizing, valuing, and learning from the diversity within that community can further deepen students' understanding of self, others, and the global community…

This article describes the process of planning and implementing a problem-based learning community. Business and communication students from a large university in the Western United States competed in teams to solve an authentic business problem posed by a Fortune 500 company. The company's willingness to adopt some of their recommendations…

This article begins with a vignette about Carla, a 4-year-old girl with a diagnosis of developmental delays. It then describes a model to facilitate inclusion of young children in early childhood settings. The authors developed this model as they worked with practicing early childhood professionals. The model places emphasis on the following…

Massachusetts middle school's Classroom-by-Committee program is based on town council model of subcommittees. Students briefed in self-management techniques choose committees that meet their needs while helping them develop critical thinking skills, set goals, identify problems, and generate solutions. Teachers facilitate learning, guide students…

An approach to teaching particularly well-suited to communication courses seeks to involve students in the learning process more directly by incorporating team teaching in communication courses--not by professors but by students. Groups of students in each class form into teams with the purpose of setting goals and planning projects for furthering…

Several research studies indicate that an enriched school climate contributes to increased productivity and satisfaction as evidenced by higher academic achievement, better student behavior, and improved student and staff morale. This monograph aims to provide a conceptual definition and overview of the variables comprising school climate and to…

Reviews communication capacities of computers that can be used to enhance the writing process; reports on recent studies of the social effects of using computers in writing classes, including a case study of student collaborative writing; and discusses research and teaching implications of research findings. (MBR)

Reports an experiment in collaborative essay testing in a college course, finding some improvement in achievement, significant reduction in test anxiety, and student engagement in reflective thinking similar to metacognition. In addition, partners generally participated equally in test preparation and content. Suggestions are made for implementing…

Students attending a Minnesota school in a middle-class neighborhood are finding that cooperation, conflict resolution, and civic values are creating a safe haven from the stresses of family and neighborhood life. Students have two innovative programs (Continuous Progress and Discovery) to choose from. Highlands Elementary nurtures its students…

Provides evidence that benefits occur when friends, compared with nonfriends, are coworkers on cognitive tasks. Notes meta-analysis which found superior performance was demonstrated in the areas of seeking scarce resources, problem solving, creative activity, and reaching consensus. Argues teachers should consider giving students the opportunity…