To identify specific instructional features prompting meaningful change among teacher candidates, this literature review evaluated studies that examined the influence of teacher education coursework on preservice teachers' conceptions and practices. Literature came from books and from journals published between 1992-96. The review examined whether…

Based on collaborative learning theories, this qualitative study describes seven adult students' experiences of learning in a context of synchronous computer-mediated communication within a distance education environment. The setting was an 8-week, Internet-based undergraduate/graduate sociology course sponsored by Indiana University Purdue…

This chapter describes a program evaluation of cooperative learning in a private language school devoted to teaching English to Japanese students. Student resistance to cooperative learning was due to a lack of training of students, a lack of understanding of basic cooperative learning principles by administrators, and a lack of cooperative…

This paper describes a first-year English-as-foreign-language junior college reading course in Japan that utilized a combination of whole class instruction and cooperative learning techniques to encourage group discussion and language skill development. Students were randomly divided into groups of eight--a group which became the students' home…

Despite several years of English language instruction, most Japanese students remain unable to produce nor comprehend more than rudimentary English. In order to overcome this problem, students must be motivated to participate in tasks designed to get them to use English communicatively--a difficult task in a country where students typically remain…

This study examined how support tools (i.e., prompts that support students to use self-explanation and self-monitoring strategies) facilitate convergent knowledge building processes in a World Wide Web-based virtual university engineering course. A quasi-experimental study was designed. An engineering class of a virtual university was selected as…

This collection of essays, from Houston area educators, investigates and analyzes the state of social education, offering a critical and transformative perspective. Following a preface, chapters in the collection are: (1) "Addressing the Issues within Social Studies" (C. White); (2) "The Status of Social Studies Education" (C.…

This study examined the collaboration of four adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners as they participated in a small groups to construct meaning in response to English short stories. The study investigated learners' oral responses and utterances and noted how group discussion influenced the content of their responses to short stories…

A Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) for second year Physiology students, involving timetabled tutorials, a student-friendly learning space, and a variety of computer-based and traditional resources has been previously shown to impact positively on student learning. In the sessions described in this paper, students used a semester-long group…

The move toward standards-based instruction calls for greater student involvement in the learning process. Cooperative learning is widely used as many standards-based school departments advocate greater employment of constructivist classrooms as the most appropriate vehicle of instruction. During academic year 2002-03, 42 students from California…

This book outlines how educators can design meaningful learning experiences that address standards and utilize cooperative learning, brain research, and the Internet to effectively develop a students' ability to thrive in the 21st century workplace. After an introduction that explains cooperative work groups, there are 13 chapters in four parts.…

In the face of panic and life-threatening situations in a hospital emergency room (ER), doctors must rely on well-defined procedures to assess the situation and respond appropriately. Because decisions to act must not only be timely, but also ingrained and swift, practice and experience in a wide range of situations is essential. This paper…

Noting that developing self-motivated, empowered students is an ongoing challenge for teachers, administrators, and parents, this action research project sought to build intrinsic learners, using cooperative learning and multiple intelligences. Participating in the project were students of two third-grade regular division classes and sixth and…

In a traditional science classroom, only a portion of students walk away with a genuine understanding of the material, and even fewer are able to apply the concepts they have learned to events in their own lives. Foundations of Science (FOS) was developed in a cooperative effort between the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor public schools…

This action research project examined the impact of a social skills intervention to reduce the amount of inappropriate, rude, and disruptive behavior from elementary and secondary students. Targeted for this study were elementary and secondary students in three schools in rural western Illinois. The problems of lack of preparation for class,…