A study of 288 undergraduates enrolled in 17 telecourses determined that students attending class sessions with fewer students reported being more satisfied with the courses and were more likely to perform at levels exceeding their previous academic performance than students attending larger sessions. Discusses the practical and theoretical…

This interpretive study of a Year Six classroom in North Queensland, Australia focuses on how two contrasting groups of children designed ill-defined engineering structures. The collaboration processes within the research team are explored. Classroom-related findings are also reported. (AIM)

This article reviews routine-based teaching and monitoring and offers guidelines for using these strategies to track the progress of individual children with disabilities. The Individual Activity-Objective Matrix and the Group-Objective Matrix are explained as ways to help teachers to structure opportunities for a child to learn and practice…

Presents the methodology, results, and difficulties encountered in the development and delivery of a course through the Internet at a university in Rio de Janeiro. Provides a model for group work, including group discussions; and shows how a Web-based environment can be used to provide support and to facilitate cooperative learning. (Author/LRW)

Describes how one elementary school created small, cross-grade-level groups to made their school a smaller place for students and to encourage interaction and support. Explains the role of the library media specialists in choosing read-aloud picture books that teach virtues mandated by the school district to be used by all groups. (LRW)

Observed differences between third graders' self-regulatory behaviors in three instructional contexts (teacher directed, seatwork, and small group). Children were most self-regulated but most likely to be disorganized during small group work and seatwork; least likely to attend to instructions, monitor work, and seek help during teacher directed…

Provides information, strategies, and activities designed specifically to aid instructors and students in developing collaborative group processes that promote teamwork in an online environment. Outlines an instructional module that was developed and formatively tested with graduate students, and describes a workshop designed for faculty members…

The whole-language learning approach is applied to the teaching of writing skills to children with disabilities. Oral storytelling is the basis for an eight-step procedure which progresses from hearing a storyteller through writing a class story and on to publishing and storytelling. (DB)

The use of cooperative education as a technique for increasing both test performance and interest in a course of introductory statistics was studied. The hypothesis was that students in voluntary groups would perform better than students in assigned groups and that group learning would be more effective than individual learning. (MLW)

Discusses the use of the seminar approach in elementary classrooms. Makes practical suggestions for implementation and outlines areas in which teachers need administrative support. Includes an interview with a sixth-grade teacher who has been using the method for two years. (FMW)

Argues that educators must move away from a computation-dominated curriculum to a curriculum that stresses problem solving and understanding. States that small group instruction is appropriate for this type of curriculum. (PCB)

The author examines the background and purposes of open learning in Great Britain. Political motives are emphasized. The distinction between distance education and open education is made. The author calls for more focus on individualizing instruction in distance education. (CH)

With collaborative learning, the professor no longer acts like an expert dispensing knowledge to passive students. The professor becomes "a guide, rather than an authority figure." Undergraduates are used as teaching assistants, peer tutors, and members of research teams. (MLW)

This article examines the teacher's contribution to the indirect effect that within-classroom grouping has on student achievement. Two distinct types of groups (ability groups and peer work-groups) are discussed and recommendations made for effective use of within-class grouping. (IAH)

This discussion of definitions of distance education responds to previous articles attempting to define the field. Topics discussed include distance education versus conventional education; group-based distance education; differences between open learning and distance education; and criteria to define distance education. (13 references) (LRW)