Reports on ways in which interactive video-based courseware is being used with students studying for vocational qualifications at Thames Valley University (United Kingdom). Two alternative models using interactive video are described, one using multiple workstations and one using a single workstation led by a tutor. (Contains six references.) (LRW)

A series of six related lessons is presented that covers the three stages of process writing in which secondary students work in pairs and groups. Covering 11 35-minute periods, the lessons include prewriting, writing, and postwriting. Sample questions are appended. (Contains five references.) (LB)

Language teachers serve as facilitators/consultants in managing group instruction in the communicative classroom. Four main aspects are described: choosing appropriate tasks; organizing groups; monitoring activities; and providing feedback. (Contains eight references.) (LB)

Effects on achievement of generating summaries or analogies while reading a lengthy text were studied for 111 undergraduate students randomly assigned to paired or individual conditions. Posttest results were higher for those who generated summaries, and students scored more highly working alone. Implications are discussed. (SLD)

College faculty can minimize problems in grading students' cooperative projects by carefully structuring the five basic elements of formal cooperative learning groups: positive interdependence; individual and group accountability; face-to-face promotive interaction; teamwork skills; and group processing. There must also be sufficient reason for…

A study explored the impact of structured team problem solving (STEPS) on 15 cognitive and social skills and examined learning outcomes among 26 undergraduates in a health science course. Results suggest STEPS can enhance problem-based learning (PBL) by improving task completion and group processes and may enable implementation of PBL in larger…

Examined what actually transpires in California's reduced-size classrooms, using systematic classroom observations and teacher and student interviews at four elementary schools. Results indicated that, overall, teachers still used whole-class instruction (though they perceived they used varied instructional strategies). Most learning activities…

Introductory exercise courses for sedentary, moderately overweight adults were developed. The underlying principles of the courses, their structure and contents, guidelines of instruction, and use of evaluation are described. Implementation of five weight-reduction courses and six exercise courses involving 209 participants is described;…

Describes a study that investigated the influence of small-group work on confidence level and achievement of adults in mathematics, specifically in algebra. Students who participated in the experimental (small-group) method of instruction experienced significantly greater increase in confidence level, and higher completion rate, than students who…

Explored the perspectives of graduate students (n=18) toward their learning in a course in higher and continuing education which used three collaborative groups in a problem-based instructional approach. Identified a core theme, ownership of knowledge, and three embedded subthemes: (1) group dynamics, (2) tutor feedback, and (3) metacognitive…

A small-group process used for self-directed, continuous professional development tries to integrate three elements: creation of a safe, risk-free, listening ambience; ongoing examination of research on brain/mind learning principles; and implementation and integration of new strategies and practices into a coherent model. (Contains 10…

Describes a year long literacy improvement project in two third-grade classrooms that focused on struggling readers. Describes small-group reading instruction in the classrooms that focused on 3 components: rereading familiar texts; shared and guided reading, incorporating strategy use in decoding unfamiliar words; and shared and guided writing.…

Describes various methods the authors (2 Reading Recovery and Title I reading teachers) use to incorporate a single computer effectively in reading and writing activities with small groups (6 children or fewer) of first-grade students. Describes a full circle from simple talking books (in Hyperstudio) for the students to read, to children…

Describes Reading Express, a collaborative program bringing together first-grade teachers and Reading Recovery teachers to support all first-grade children in literacy development. Indicates that the program is having a positive impact on students' literacy development. Concludes that first-grade teachers are more strategic in their reading…

Traditional grading systems use numerals in a manner equivalent to psychological measurement, and encounter many of the problems associated with psychological measurement, particularly in aggregating grades to obtain a single score. Problems are illustrated by a university's grading system for 1,039 students in a first-year psychology course.…