This study of third graders examined whether qualitatively distinct cooperative computer environments (using LOGO and curriculum-based instruction in writing) engender social experiences that enhance motivation and self-concepts as learners; and the extent to which differences in motivation and self-perception accounted for differences in…

This article offers reasons for using cooperative-learning strategies in classrooms characterized by student diversity including disabilities. It provides a definition, guidelines concerning important instructional decisions prior to implementing cooperative learning, and suggestions for preparing students and evaluating student outcomes.…

Five questions about the academic, psychological, and socialization effects on gifted and talented learners of grouping for enrichment, of cooperative grouping for regular instruction, and of grouping for acceleration are addressed. Analysis of 13 research syntheses supports sustained periods of instruction in like-ability groups for gifted and…

Overviews some current approaches and practices of the basic aspects of foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) methodology and illustrates classroom implementation of these techniques. FLES practitioners need to explore ways to appeal to students to help them retain different types of Spanish content and gain new insights into Spanish…

Describes a study in which elementary school students were required to collaborate in studying a hedgerow, producing boundaries and sketches. Results stress the importance of talk in learning. The hedgerow lesson presented an ideal situation for developing personal knowledge through the explanatory discussion of information with peers. (SM)

Presents results of an experiment enabling students to develop their own cognitive and metacognitive strategies to promote autonomous learning in mathematical problem solving, knowledge acquisition, and written composition. Explains that students dealt with models of teachers' and classmates' cognitive performances and monitored their own…

Identifies concepts and findings in cognitive psychology and cooperative learning relevant to teaching and learning higher cognitive skills. Derives implications from research to use as criteria for evaluating history and social science instruction programs. Critiques three models for teaching intellectual skills in the social studies curriculum.…

The impact of direct instruction on reading comprehension strategies and the degree to which cooperative learning processes enhanced students' learning of strategies were studied using 486 third and fourth graders in Pennsylvania. Subjects identified main ideas of passages. Pretest-posttest data highlight the significant impact of direct…

Provides a lesson plan using historical photographs to teach local history in elementary school social studies classes. Suggests sources and copying procedures. Employs cooperative learning strategies in which students title photographs and describe what they see, then compare their findings with those of other groups and with historical…

Discusses a revised secondary social studies methods course for college students based on a teaching exchange between public school teachers and professional educators. Describes areas covered such as teaching strategies, boundaries of the disciplines, international perspective, cooperative learning, research-based strategies, and critical…

Discusses the limitations in the explain-practice and active learning methods of teaching mathematics. Proposes that problem-centered learning is a teaching method that encourages student reflection, and presents examples demonstrating that encouraging reflection results in greater mathematics achievement. (MDH)

In response to optometry student complaints about group scores as an inadequate reflection of individual effort, two different procedures for assessing individual contributions to a group learning project were investigated, one based on evaluations by students outside the group and one using student evaluations of their fellow group members'…

Describes a school districtwide program in which secondary students produced operas as part of the regular and extracurricular curricula. Details events dating from 1985 illustrating the growth and development of the program. Contends that the program was an intellectually rewarding experience and an excellent public relations activity for the…

Suburban Chicago middle school teachers designed a month-long unit to foster global education, guided by research on integrated, self-selected, and collaborative learning strategies. Teachers initiated brainstorming activities, grouped students by interest, and demonstrated how to be investigative researchers, informative writers, effective…

A discussion of tracking, or student grouping by academic ability, looks at arguments for and against such tracking, outlines several alternatives, including cooperative learning, active teaching strategies, and extended learning time for low-achievers. It is concluded that tracking is ineffective, harmful to many, and undermines democratic…