Explains how to recruit members for a trade union study circle: types of people, preparation of informational materials, and guidelines for discussing the purpose and benefits of study circles. (SK)

Advocates the use of two frameworks, "gathering" and "sharing," for junior high school homework assignments that connect the classroom to the outside world and make students responsible for some of their own learning. (NKA)

Describes an activity in which students formulate their own questions and design investigations to answer them through a field trip to an amusement park. Cooperative learning groups of three or four students select one ride to investigate, then propose a question with an independent variable and a resulting dependent variable supporting their…

Describes and illustrates games and game settings used in two observational projects dealing with game play by young children. One project presented games encouraging use of strategies; the other provided game equipment and invited the children to invent their own rules and playing procedures. (DS)

Discusses an attempt to have students learn chemistry by conducting and discussing laboratory experiments in small groups largely independent of the teacher. The project results and the 30 experiments that student groups conducted are described. (WB)

The Academic Foundations Department at Rutgers University developed an alternative method for encouraging writing that allows the students to work together in small groups. This method, called group composing, has many advantages: it is process-oriented rather than product-focused; it allows students to become aware of the options available to…

Describes mistakes made in trying to change the Nutrition and Digestion section of a medical biochemistry course. Author tried to make the section student taught and reports nine mistakes including the following: ignoring active opposition of colleagues, failure to assess the receptivity of the class to a new form of teaching, and overestimating…

Discusses several methods the author uses to overcome students' negative attitudes about working in small groups. Discusses preliminary activities (including a class discussion and direct instruction). Describes the group assignment, including a general overview, specifics of the assignment, and ways to overcome common group work problems. (SR)

This book provides educators with the background and procedures needed to conduct group investigation, a method for classroom instruction in which students work collaboratively in small groups to examine, experience, and understand their topic of study. Significantly different from traditional instruction, group investigation is designed to appeal…

To enliven her fourth-grade class on rainy days, the author grouped the students into five teams to study the Westward Movement in the United States. Each team became a wagon train, tracing a different pioneer route and marking their progress with group reports, research projects, and diaries. (SJL)

To help committed student writers make the transition from school-sponsored to self-sponsored forms of discourse, an advanced expository writing course combines student-chosen writing assignments with a pedagogical structure that promotes a sensitive and critical response to prose. The class is organized into writing groups containing four or five…

Describes literature study groups in which students choose the adolescent literature books they wish to read, write down their thoughts in journals, and share their reading experiences in discussion groups. Notes that students respond favorably, actively involving themselves in reading and discussing books. Discusses the problem of evaluating…

Explains how student "companies" can be made more effective by giving them more responsibility for the way the group is run. Claims student companies will be more cohesive, and will provide students with more writing that combines the personal and professional. (MS)

Describes how less able students were motivated when assigned the task of inviting and being responsible for guest speakers from the community. (CRH)

Considers cooperative reading and study groups and suggests activities designed to enhance individual learning and study skills for such groups. (NKA)