The analysis of small group data with hierarchical linear models is discussed, concentrating on the usefulness and reliability of such analyses using data reported by N. M. Webb (1982). Results of Webb's analyses for 96 junior high school students in small groups are compared with results obtained with random effects linear models for the analysis…

An instructor developed audio-stimulus activities for use with students and colleagues after attending conferences and short courses where similar activities were conducted. After listening to a tape-recorded "typical scenario" (different for each audience), participants answer a few questions about the scenario. Small groups of students…

In a diverse population such as the one at the University of New Mexico, a population made up of a variety of ethnic groups including Hispanic, Navajo, Japanese, and Anglo students, instructors need to give a voice to every student, to point out differences, similarities, universal and not-so-universal ideas, all of which enrich everyone's store…

Learning that can occur through small group work is considered. Practitioners and advocates of the method describe learning through small group work as active learning that is deeper and more enduring than passive learning. The key is that students are personally engaged in the work and peer interaction is seen to be a major facilitating factor…

Designed to present a workable system for first grade reading group sessions, this report contains a detailed explanation of 22 principles for managing small group instruction. The principles it describes reflect experience and research involving teachers and young children in small groups and fall into two major categories: organizing and…

The educational objectives and techniques for the graduate seminar are outlined and illustrated with material from a successful seminar on The World of John Donne. Included is discussion of selecting an appropriate topic, use of guest lecturers, students working as a team, and the teacher's role. Emphasis is on shared research. (JT)

Four newsletter issues on college instruction cover large class instruction, working with teaching assistants (TAs), preparing a course syllabus, and practical approaches to dealing with cheating on exams. Specific topics include: deciding on content for large class lectures, selecting texts and readings, physical characteristics of the lecture…

This report describes an Education Consolidation and Improvement Act-Chapter 1 program for at-risk kindergarten children in four Bellingham (Washington) elementary schools. Children in the program are included in regular kindergarten classes, which meet two full days each week and every other Friday. The children also attend the Kindergarten for…

The adoption of proficiency-based principles in second language teaching does not mean using a new method of instruction, but rather providing maximum opportunities for students to perform communicative linguistic tasks in a variety of contexts and with a given degree of accuracy. This definition has implications for the learning and teaching…

In spring 1990, the Center for Literacy Studies convened two 1-day workshops on group literacy instruction, bringing together some 41 literacy coordinators, teachers, volunteers, and students from the eastern part of Tennessee. The workshops were designed to share experiences on the introduction of group methods, to exchange ideas on "what works,"…

An environmental awareness program was implemented among kindergarten children with different backgrounds and abilities in order to expand their conceptual knowledge, communication skills, group participation, and self-expression. Participants were children scoring in the low instructional category of the Cooperative Preschool Inventory who also…

Much of the variation in achievement in college classrooms can be eliminated through the use of cooperative learning groups similar to those that have been used successfully in the elementary school setting. The group succeeds when every member succeeds--success meaning mastery of the concept or problem being posed. Its use in reading methods…

This ERIC Digest summarizes Robert E. Slavin's 1986 comprehensive review of research on the different types of ability grouping in elementary schools. Slavin examines evidence on the achievement effects of five comprehensive ability grouping plans in elementary schools: (1) ability grouped classroom assignment; (2) regrouping within grade level…

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the use in mainstreamed classes of team assisted individualization (TAI), in which students work on individualized units in heterogeneous, cooperative learning groups. Team reward systems are incorporated into the small group instruction format. The effects of the TAI approach on the achievement,…

A group-learning approach has been identified as suitable for dealing with large classes in a graduate public administration course to encourage student participation and to personalize the learning experience. (Author/KM)