Cooperative learning generally refers to students working together to achieve academic objectives and the instructional procedures that structure the students' collaborative efforts. Jigsaw is a cooperative learning model that involves small gruops of 5-6 students teaching each other subject matter about which they have become "experts"…

A study examined how teacher educators' goals, objectives, and class procedures were affected by using portfolios to promote critical thinking about teaching and learning, and how these instructional decisions were mediated and negotiated by the socio-professional context. Six teacher educators implementing a pilot portfolio program recorded their…

This paper summarizes the experience of several pre-college telecommunications projects, with special emphasis on those administered by TERC, including an in-depth account of the evaluation findings in the largest project, TERC Star Schools. It begins by discussing networks and educational change in the context of changing teaching approaches and…

This study was designed to investigate differential achievement effects of cooperative learning instruction in mathematics on students who seek group membership and on those who do not. The study was conducted in a suburban school district in Colorado. Participants were 3 classes of 5th-grade students (N=56) along with teachers who had received…

The comments of a student new to Advanced Placement courses convinced a teacher of Advanced Placement English that opening up her class to all students was not enough--the teacher had to learn how to teach an untracked English class. Three basic strategies for teaching the class took shape: the teacher spent a great deal of time modeling tasks;…

This document is the official guide for teaching English Language Arts in the elementary schools of Canada's Northwest Territories. It reflects a student-centered, process-oriented, integrated and culture-based approach. It emphasizes teaching language (whether it be English or aboriginal) in meaningful, interactive contexts and evaluating…

An antibias curriculum seeks to nurture children's potential by addressing issues of diversity and equity in the classroom. Goals of antibias curricula are to foster children's self-identity, interaction with people from diverse backgrounds, critical thinking about bias, and ability to stand up for themselves in the face of bias. The first phase…

After several years of curriculum writing workshops and field-testing of draft materials, involving approximately 150 teachers, the SciencePlus program was implemented in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick between 1986 and 1991. SciencePlus programs provide a shift from an overwhelming emphasis on fact-recall testing to a predominate emphasis on…

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…

The major purpose of the research reported here was to determine how teachers from middle school to high school levels acquired their understanding of cooperative learning, how they used it in the classroom, and how they kept students accountable for performance. Eleven teachers were interviewed and observed in five disciplines (language arts,…

This study was designed to test the null hypothesis which states that there will be no significant difference in mean creativity scores on the verbal or figural subtests of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking among subjects with no creativity training, those with creativity training under traditional, and those with creativity training under…

With philosophic and theoretical emphases on group learning and individual empowerment, adult education is ideally suited for cooperative learning, particularly in areas such as adult basic education and English as a second language where learners are culturally, linguistically, and academically diverse. Small group learning, with its attendant…

The GALAXY Classroom, developed as a nation-wide reform effort, was designed to make a significant positive difference in the educational lives of elementary school students who have traditionally been labeled "at-risk." As part of a 2-year demonstration and research phase, 39 elementary schools across the United States (and one school…

There are two divergent points of view concerning the placement and instruction of special students in regular middle school language arts and reading classrooms: cooperative learning, and direct instruction. Three areas of research have emerged from the social model of teaching strategies having to do with helping students study and learn…

This paper identifies the bases and rationale for the concept of cooperative learning; describes the dynamics of the cooperative learning approach; and proposes methods that college faculty can use to enhance student motivation and learning. Cooperative learning is defined and is reported to have positive effects on student achievement, human…