This qualitative study explores three years of data from an ongoing professional development program for alumni of one university's varied teacher education programs. Participants cross secondary grade levels and disciplines. Researchers examine what transpires when controversial topics are raised within this diverse teacher discourse community.…

This naturalistic case study investigates the problem posing patterns that emerge as four small groups of 12 year old students in Western Canada work collectively on a structured mathematics task. A method of data analysis is introduced that blurs the data to create transcript "tapestries" providing visual evidence of collective patterns…

Collaborative learning is something that all students will employ once they finish their formal education, and while it isn't something that can be objectively tested by standardized exams, it is something that can be taught. Learning to work in groups is simultaneously a way of learning and a skill worth learning. Teachers should acknowledge that…

In a group situation, something goes wrong but no individual feels personal responsibility. This is called the "pie" phenomenon because everybody has a piece of the action, but all believe they are innocent. Each contributes to contagion and chaos but all say, "We didn't do nothing." In this article, the author, a pioneer in work with troubled…

The purpose of this study was to explore group forming strategies by examining participation behaviours during whole class discussions associated with active participation in a following small group activity. Written communication data, posted in class discussion forums (843 messages/70,432 words) and small group forums (732 messages/59,394…

Groups assigned to the High Orientation condition'', wherein a confederate manipulated behavior, were significantly closer to concensus after discussion than groups in either the Low or No Orientation conditions''; thirty groups were involved in the study. (Author/SP)

TWENTY-SIX GROUPS OF FIVE SUBJECTS EACH WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF FEEDBACK ON SUBSEQUENT GROUP BEHAVIOR. EACH GROUP WAS GIVEN TEN PROBLEMS, EACH TO BE SOLVED INDIVIDUALLY, BEFORE AND AFTER A DISCUSSION PERIOD. THE USE OF AN ANALOG COMPUTER PERMITTED THE EXPERIMENTER TO GIVE FEEDBACK ON THE FIRST SOLUTION BEFORE THE DISCUSSION BEGAN…

This article reports the findings of a research project concerned with children engaging in scientific argumentation. Discussion activities were designed to enable groups of children to use evidence when making decisions. The findings show a variation in the success with which children construct scientific arguments; some groups debate most of the…

An experiment in behavior technology is described in which the results indicate that token technology can be an effective technique to increase small group participation when a variety of back-up reinforcers is offered. (Author/HB)

In this article, the author presents the dangers in group work. He states that one common dilemma is when groups tend to come to agreement too quickly. Another dilemma is when the team is getting bogged down and becoming defensive or adversarial when members express new ideas or introduce new data. Finally, a very common danger is group members'…

Analyzed group discussions associated with 68 high-quality and 29 low-quality decisions made by comparably informed groups using cross-contact comparison. Found vigilance, second-guessing, and accurate information processing associated with high-quality decisions; faulty information processing and improbable fantasy chains with low-quality…

During a study of group communication, efforts were made to identify variables that distinguish statements of consensus groups from those of non-consensus groups, and to determine if and how relationships between consecutive statements differ for the 2 types of groups. Six students in each of 3 consensus and 3 non-consensus groups discussed the…

In a test of three computer models to simulate group decisions, data were used from 31 American and Austrian groups on a total of 307 trials. The task for each group was to predict a series of answers of an unknown subject on a value-orientation questionnaire, after being given a sample of his typical responses. The first model, used the mean of…

Because of their immediacy, natural occurring events and present experiences in the classroom are ideal vehicles for both subject-matter and social learning. This kind of social learning can be facilitated through use of process oriented class meetings,'' the fishbowl,'' feedback devices, force field analysis, analysis of likenesses and…