Small group inquiry changes the leadership role of the teacher to create an open classroom and focus on the social and intellectual development of the student as a future thinking and adaptive citizen, not just a reluctant member of an audience for specialized information. (Author)

Explores two models for study groups as staff development for counselors. Elementary counselors studied reflective listening in a district-wide self-led group; secondary counselor groups met first with a consultant and then formed study groups on their individual campuses (suggested topic: anger management). Session notes are appended for both…

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…

The Detroit Center for Professional Growth and Development provides a model for teacher controlled teachers' centers. The center's success, in terms of resource provision and teacher involvement, could serve as a reminder to other centers that have been reluctant to give control to teachers. (Author/GC)

Research suggests a strong association between the existence of professional learning communities within schools, increases in the effectiveness of practice, and improvement in student achievement. This paper describes the National School Reform Faculty (NSRF), a professional development program at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at…

With teachers' centers in Britain taking the lead, centers have been created in many other countries including the U.S. This movement may now provide teachers with the opportunity to take charge of the curricula they teach and of their own professional destiny. (Author/GC)

Reflects upon the attributes of children's republics relative to the preparation of children for life outside the family. Argues that it is theoretically possible to incorporate the basic elements of children's republics into the institutional framework of the public school if educational policy fosters self-administration and shared…

Teacher support groups can promote professional development by encouraging ownership of the professional agenda, enhancing collegial interaction, and reducing program fragmentation. A survey revealed that teacher groups formed by teachers enabled members to find personal and professional support within the group, while groups sponsored by the…

This is a comprehensive training handbook for the Group Analytical Planning (GAP) program, a 12-hour program that trains individuals and groups in the skills of group leadership through the process of action-oriented planning. The handbook describes the step-by-step process that groups should follow in order to effectively achieve planned change.…

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…

Illustrates how self-management procedures can be employed in school settings with small groups of students. Describes some guidelines and the benefits to be derived from such an application. Outlines how self-management groups have been carried out. (Author)

Shares stories from the author's classroom to show how literature discussion groups can help students raise their own questions about literature, and support students in moving away from instructional dependency to thinking critically. (SR)

Conditions under which the use of small groups in classrooms can be productive are suggested in this paper, which moves beyond the general question of small-group learning effectiveness. Part 1 offers a review of recent studies of interaction in cooperative groups, focusing on the following themes: interaction and achievement; task and…

This paper describes an innovative course in educational administration and presents students' reactions to the experience. The class was based on the constructivist perspective, which emphasizes the individual's construction of reality through dialogue, observation, writing, and reflection. The class was organized to focus students on the purpose…

On completion of this unit, one should be capable of performing each of the following unit objectives: describe individual differences among students; define individualized instruction, list modes of individualization, and present a general instructional model of individualization; justify student self-direction as a learning goal and as a…