Two aspects of teacher education for cooperative learning are the content taught and the processes used to teach the content. Of the two, the processes used may have the most powerful influences on the desired outcomes. One important theory related to the processes of learning is social interdependence theory. It posits that there are three ways…

When students enter middle school, they face 2 major challenges, one involving the biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes they are going through, and another involving the transition from elementary to middle school. Peer learning has considerable influence on how well they manage these challenges. The research that exists on peer…

Modern cooperative learning began in the mid- 1960s (D. W. Johnson & R. Johnson, 1999a). Its use, however, was resisted by advocates of social Darwinism (who believed that students must be taught to survive in a "dog-eat-dog" world) and individualism (who believed in the myth of the "rugged individualist"). Despite the resistance, cooperative…

Effects of cooperative and individualistic instruction on interpersonal attraction between handicapped and nonhandicapped students were compared. Results indicated cooperative learning experiences promote more cross-handicapped interaction during instruction, more cross-handicap friendships, and more cross-handicap interaction during…

In making the transition between the research and theory on goal structures and the literature on open education, five of the more pervasive themes of open education were discussed. (Author/RK)

The effects of cooperative and individualistic learning experiences on interpersonal attraction between handicapped and nonhandicapped fourth graders were compared. Students were assigned to conditions on a stratified random basis controlling for handicap, ability, and sex. Cooperative experiences promoted more cross-handicapped interaction and…

A theoretical orientation to three goal structures (cooperation, competition, and individualization) is postulated, based upon Deutsch's extension of Lewin's theory of motivation. Lewin postulated that a state of tension within a person motivates movement toward the accomplishment of desired goals; a goal structure specifies the type of…

Concern about violence in schools has resulted in numerous conflict resolution and peer mediation programs being implemented, though there is very little research examining their effectiveness. The exception is the Teaching Students to be Peacemakers program, which teaches students to be peacemakers in five steps: learning what is and what is not…

Examines a teacher's commitment to cooperative learning in the college classroom, discussing what makes cooperative learning so useful and explaining how to implement it. The paper notes that more and more colleges and universities are moving to active cooperative learning, even within preservice teacher education programs. (SM)

Examined the effects of positive interdependence versus no interdependence on college students' academic achievement. Students took weekly electronic quizzes where they could interact with groupmates in a chat room. Achievement was measured via biweekly examinations. Students in the positive interdependence condition engaged in significantly more…

Two university professors describe how they train teachers to use cooperative learning (CL) in the classroom. The article discusses the historical development and present implementation of CL, teacher role, and the conceptual/essential components approach. It also explains how teachers can gain expertise and defines a cooperative school. (SM)

Research on the educational outcomes of cooperative learning strategies suggests that educators can "have their cake and eat it too" since these strategies have been found to promote simultaneously high achievement, constructive student-student relationships, positive attitudes toward subject areas, continuing education, critical…

Discusses some of the benefits of having students work cooperatively toward a shared goal. Suggests that teachers become involved in research in this area and become associated with the National Science Teachers Association's Every Teacher a Researcher (ETR) program. Lists various types of research projects teachers could undertake. (TW)