This CRitical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on learning communities, an exciting innovation in teaching and learning. The term learning communities is being used to refer to new processes for linking learners, especially a curricular restructuring approach that links or clusters classes around an interdisciplinary theme and that enrolls…

This digest in a question and answer format, provides basic information on cluster grouping of gifted students. Questions address such concerns as: the meaning of cluster grouping, differences between cluster grouping and tracking, advantages of cluster grouping, learning needs of gifted students, the argument that gifted education is elitist, the…

Focused on the topic of ability grouping in reading instruction, particularly at the elementary level, this annotated bibliography contains 31 references to articles and papers entered in the ERIC database between 1983 and 1989. The citations include articles discussing recent research on ability grouping, and possible alternatives to ability…

This publication examines 10 educational trends that should be considered in the planning, design, and modernization ofschools. The trends were identified by reviewing research on the relationship of school facilities to student outcomes; by performing a general environmental scan of current trends, issues, problems, andinitiatives in education;…

The topic of mixed-age groups in early childhood education is discussed in terms of: (1) advantages of mixed-age classes; (2) social development in mixed-age groups; (3) cognitive development in mixed-age groups; and (4) implications for early childhood education. It is asserted that mixed-age interaction among young children can offer a variety…

Noting that multiage classes during the elementary school years have been an option of educational practice in the United States since the introduction of graded education in the 19th century, this digest discusses the research on multiage education and its impact on academic achievement. Despite inconsistencies in research findings, those studies…

Noting that multiage classes during the elementary school years have been an option of educational practice in the United States since the introduction of graded education in the 19th century, this digest, written in Spanish, discusses the research on multiage education and its impact on academic achievement. The digest points out that despite…

This digest deals with within-class reading ability grouping. The digest discusses limitations of grouping; teacher attitudes; student recollections of ability grouping experiences; and grouping for specific purposes (focusing on cooperative learning and its benefits). The digest suggests that good teachers who provide supportive environments for…

This digest discusses research that documents the benefits of keeping gifted students together, the advantages and disadvantages of cluster grouping, and how to implement cluster grouping strategies. It argues that cluster grouping allows educators to come much closer to providing better educational services for groups of students with similar…

This digest uses a question-and-answer format to address some issues in the possible choice of a residential school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The importance of the residential school experience in the context of Deaf culture is addressed, as are other issues such as characteristics of students attending residential schools and…

This digest summarizes research on methods of student grouping in reading instruction other than whole-class instruction and ability grouping. Peer tutoring and reciprocal-role tutoring have been demonstrated to be effective for students with learning disabilities because they are allowed to be either tutors or tutees. Cross-age tutoring has been…

Teachers in multilevel adult English-as-a-Second-Language classes are challenged to use a variety of materials, activities, and techniques to engage the interest of the learners and assist them in their educational goals. This digest recommends ways to choose and organize content for multilevel classes, explains grouping strategies, discusses a…

Nongraded education is the practice of teaching children of different ages and ability levels together, without dividing them into groups labeled by grade designations. As the year 2000 approaches and schools are being re-evaluated in light of changing social and economic conditions, nongradedness is the focus of renewed interest. This publication…

This ERIC digest looks at how college faculty can use cooperative learning principles to ensure that students actively create their own knowledge and work together to achieve shared learning goals. The first section describes cooperative learning and recommends training professors to apply an overall system to build cooperative activities,…

In successfully establishing and having students complete group tasks within a cooperative learning framework, 14 essential elements must be present. The elements necessary for cooperative learning are: (1) a clear set of specific student learning outcome objectives; (2) all students in the group accept the targeted outcome; (3) clear and complete…