The cognitive and performance benefits of group work in undergraduate courses depend on understanding how to structure groups to promote communication and comfort while also promoting diversity and reducing conflict. The current study utilized social network analysis combined with self-reported survey data from 555 students in 155 groups to…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the value of social learning from group work that emulates a professional community of practice. Design/methodology/approach: A thought piece that first, examines the role of group-work projects as part of social learning, then outlines key arguments for social learning based upon applying a…

The learning sequence (TLS) is an adaptable, dynamic framework for designing any learning experience. TLS consists of seven steps (sense of each other, sense of place, group norms, relevance, the experience itself, reflection, transfer) that provide a foundation, a reference point to return to when an unexpected situation arises, and a common…

Describes a sequential approach to learning that matches levels and types of activities to the developmental level of a group at any given stage of the learning process. Emphasizes the importance of facilitators encouraging participants to reflect on learning experiences through debriefing, processing, and transfer. Includes suggestions for…

Describes a group activity that uses a tree as a metaphor to reflect both group and personal growth during adventure activities. The tree's roots represent the group's formation, the branches and leaves represent the group's diversity and capabilities, and the seeds represent the personal learning and growth that took place within the group.…

This article explores relationships between feedback, group learning, and performance. It considers how feedback to individuals and the group as a whole supports continuous group learning. Feedback source, purpose, clarity, and valence may affect perceptions, processing, and outcomes of feedback. How feedback is processed and used may be…

Evidence suggests that the usual classroom practices don't work and must be replaced by something more active and involving. Group-inquiry, an untraditional approach to the classroom, is described. Small groups examine central problems of the subjects under study, then a consensus is reported to the class. (MLW)

This study examined learning transfer in adult acquisition of group process skills using a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to staff development in one school district. The study's theoretical framework included learning transfer, adult and organizational learning, and group work. Subjects, 29 instructional leaders and administrators,…

This book, which is intended for adult educators and human resource developers, presents guidelines for using the principles of cohort programming and learning to improve adult learners' educational experiences. The following are among the topics covered in the book's eight chapters: (1) cohort programming and learning (cohort programs defined;…