Purpose: The purpose of this study is to discuss mutual understandings of political issues among students and academics. The aim is to suggest a framework that teachers can use to address politics from both the discipline's and the students' perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on semi-structured interviews with twelve…

Groups are central to problem-based learning (PBL) and educational and professional outcomes relevant to clinical education. However, PBL groups in practice may differ from theoretical conceptions of groups. Therefore, this study explored students' understandings of the purpose and value of PBL groups for their learning. We conducted a…

The use of movies and television in teaching is growing in popularity. Although a number of publications describe movies for use in the classroom, no single suggestion has been offered as an example that covers all the basic concepts of an organizational behavior course. Disney's "Remember the Titans" is that movie and, as such, is a valuable tool…

As secondary educators seek strategies to support reluctant and disengaged learners, a greater understanding of the learning sciences (how people learn) becomes more important. This article examines the emerging knowledge base on the learning sciences and investigates how what has been discoveries about how and why people learn have practical…

Reports on the use of small group instruction in a college sociology course. Contends that teacher-assigned groups using students' perception of their level of knowledge on a topic is an effective strategy. Maintains this technique helps enrich class discussions and improves student understanding of course content. (CFR)

Food and drink are associated with survival and for children and young people the edible landscape represents an essential part of survival in the modern school. Within any institution that "contains" persons over time, such as schools, hospitals and prisons, the organization and control of eating and drinking takes on a particularly…

Reports a survey of students' satisfaction in a cooperative learning college-level introductory biology course offered, with changes, over 3 years. The survey found that cognitive diversity increases group conflict and concluded that there can be no "perfect course" due to the diversity of cognitive styles found in any class. Using a…

A system for observing and coding verbal interchanges between the teacher and his pupils, at all instructional levels, is described in this study. The system, widely known as the Flanders System of Interaction Analysis, is reviewed in terms of its effect on the classroom behavior of teachers and on student attitudes. The application of the…

The Inquiry Role Approach (IRA) is a strategy for classroom learning in which students work as 4-member teams and assume roles as Team Coordinator, Process Advisor, Data Recorder, and Technical Advisor. Cognitive as well as affective objectives are identified which relate to optimum learning and personal growth in the classroom. The counselor's…

The study evaluates the effectiveness of a set of social studies activities in promoting cooperative interaction among junior high school students. A field experiment was designed to test three hypotheses: (1) groups which have previously worked together structure tasks more cooperatively than a newly formed group: (2) groups which have…

Suggestions for improving conversation groups in the intermediate and advanced English as a second language classroom are considered with attention directed to design of the activities, preparation of the individuals involved, and selection of the subject matter. In addition, factors that cause conversation groups to fail are discussed. A…