Findings from two studies are discussed in relation to the experiences and challenges faced by teachers trying to implement effective group work in schools and classrooms and to reflect on the lessons learnt about how to involve pupils with special educational needs (SEN). The first study reports on UK primary school teachers' experiences of…

We use the theory of communities of practice and the concept of accountable disciplinary knowledge to describe how a learning community develops in the context of an upper-division physics laboratory course. The change in accountable disciplinary knowledge motivates students' enculturation into a community of practice. The enculturation process is…

Studies of primary education within the UK have shown that small groups can feature within classrooms; however, equivalent research within secondary education remains scarce. Research has established effective group work approaches, yet secondary teachers may encounter difficulties employing approaches tied to parameters embedded within primary…

This paper presents the results of a micro-genetic analysis of the development of a creative solution arrived at by students working collaboratively to solve a robotics problem in a sixth grade science classroom. Results indicate that four aspects of the enacted curriculum proved important to developing the creative solution, including the…

This paper describes use of social network analysis to examine student interaction patterns in a Grade 5/6 Knowledge Building class. The analysis included face-to-face interactions and interactions in the Knowledge Forum[R] Knowledge Building environment. It is argued that sociogram data are useful to reveal group processes; in sociological terms,…

Peer tutoring in Higher Education is being used with increasing frequency to aid in student learning, motivation, and empowerment. Although an extensive body of research documents the efficacy of such programs, it exhibits a surprising lack of awareness of the social dynamics involved. This study focuses on peer tutors and students as they…

This document describes an instructional packet designed to help teachers develop effective techniques for monitoring classroom behavior. Monitoring student classroom behavior requires the possession of a meaningful set of categories with which to describe student behavior, the ability to identify examples of those behaviors in the context of…

Presented is a rationale accompanied by specific techniques and concepts for counselor use when consulting with teachers about classes as groups. (Author)

The goal of this book is to help teachers create a positive social climate in the elementary school classroom. Six group processes areas are identified as combining to create the social climate of the classroom: (1) attraction; (2) leadership; (3) communication; (4) student norms of conduct; (5) individual expectations; and (6) group cohesion. The…

Data collected in both classroom and open design schools suggest that teacher-pupil interactions in classrooms are not as routine as is often assumed, and that open plan schools may not provide for dynamic and fruitful teacher-teacher interaction to the extent that was earlier thought to be the case. (Author/NQ)

In 3 of 5 Australian grade 8 math classes, 5 students, most high ability males, dominated teacher-student interactions in whole-class activities. These students' involvement was facilitated by behaviors of teachers and students and by management problems prevailing in these classes. In a fourth class the teacher systematically involved a larger…

A THEORETICAL PARADIGM FOR ANALYZING THE DYNAMICS OF TASK AND PROCESS COMPONENTS OF GROUP LIFE AS THEY ARE RELATED TO THE MANIFOLD FORCES OPERATIVE IN THE CLASSROOM IS PRESENTED. PUPILS ARE VIEWED AS MEMBERS OF A PREDOMINANTLY WORK-ORIENTED CULTURE--THE CLASSROOM. WITHIN THIS CULTURE, TWO KINDS OF CONFLICT-PRODUCING DEMANDS TO WHICH PUPILS MUST…

Systematic observation and a questionnaire format were used to investigate the relationship between posture sharing and self-report indications of rapport in a group situation--college seminar classrooms. The greater the amount of mirroring and congruent postures evidenced by students vis-a-vis the teacher, the higher the ratings of involvement.…

Qualitative methods were used to analyze the social environments--or webs of interaction--in reading groups of varying ability levels. Ethnographic observations were conducted for 15 to 30 hours in each of eight first and second grade classrooms with ability-divided reading groups. A code scheme was developed to categorize the quantity and quality…