The underlying values and principles of the "common adventure" model are presented. Features of a common adventure trip include a group of individuals working cooperatively toward mutual goals and sharing expenses, decision making, and responsibilities equitably. The common adventure model is contrasted with adventure education,…

Reports findings of two studies--one in Georgia, the other in Kentucky--of principal group-processing skills and training. Finds, for example, that group-processing skills are critical to principals' job success, especially in schools with site-based management, but that the quality and amount of such training in university preparation programs…

This study suggests that the social dynamics of the language learning classroom may in some cases dramatically alter the way cognitive processes of attention, or noticing, are deployed in cooperative learning activities in which feedback occurs, and this in turn appears to affect acquisition. (Author/VWL)

Presents strategies for making peak moments happen at camp. One camp made it a priority for counselors to do little things for campers. One counselor started a bedtime ritual where campers discussed the day's highlights and thanked someone. Another strategy involved campers writing positive notes to each other. Proclaiming one day to be…

A meta-analysis of 38 studies of social skills training interventions with antisocial youth was performed. Also examined were treatment effects for interventions that differed in group composition. As predicted, skills training interventions delivered in the context of groups consisting of only antisocial peers produced smaller benefits than did…

A day-by-day account describes Camp Greentop's first 5-day adventure camping trip, which was attended by five individuals with disabilities and their counselors. The first day was spent in games and initiatives designed to develop communication, teamwork, and dependability. Other days were devoted to hiking, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting.…

Reponses from 12 of 20 Minnesota Extension educators regarding their participation in a master's cohort program via distance learning indicated that the cohort experience affected their leadership skills and abilities and personal growth. The cohort model was deemed to be an effective collaborative vehicle for earning a graduate degree. (SK)

Law-Related Education (LRE) is a curriculum for elementary through high school students that focuses on civil, criminal, and constitutional themes as they revolve around familiar topics. LRE programs teach objective facts through the immediacy of group process. In 1989-90, LRE was active in 43 states. (MLF)

In fall 1984, the Educators' Forum was initiated to help stimulate and guide teachers studying their own practice. To assist each other with classroom investigations, the teachers hold a two-hour meeting, complete with a discussion leader. This article illustrates the process using sample topics involving cooperative science, first grade…

Reconceptualizes groupthink symptoms as observable group interaction patterns. Proposes two coding systems for detecting the illusion of unanimity symptom, detecting both degree of unanimity and degree of the illusory versus substantive nature of that unanimity. (SR)

Describes team-building activities for mental health counselors who function as consultants to staffs, groups, or other intact work systems. Provides rationale for application of strategic systems and sociodrama techniques to an adventure activity that allows a group to metaphorically enact its common issue. Provides example of a consultation…

Teacher education programs should help future teachers develop skills in cooperative procedures and an appreciation for cooperation as a teaching technique and a subject to be taught to students in a democracy. (IAH)

Cooperative learning is a set of instructional strategies in which students are grouped in teams working together toward a common goal. Cooperative learning provides for student interaction in a way that dramatically increases discussion and critical thinking without sacrificing achievement. (JOW)

Describes the use of a computer conferencing program, Confer II, in freshman college composition classes. Benefits discussed include the opportunity to expand classroom discussions; promotion of interactions between students, both class-related and purely social; and exploration of the link between conversation and expressive writing. (five…

Examples are given of how spontaneous discussions of school and home problems enabled fourth grade children to seek solutions to difficulties in an open and cooperative way. (JD)