This book describes approaches to professional development for cooperative learning and how the use of cooperative learning for teacher learning is leading to new insights into professional growth in schools. Part 1, "Begin with the Teacher: Focusing Professional Development for Cooperative Learning," offers "Introduction:…

While teams in the business environment are highly structured with clearly defined roles, unstructured project teams in the educational environment suffer from communication and coordination problems. This study at East Carolina University (North Carolina) demonstrated the impact of this lack of structure by providing distinct roles and…

This paper describes the design, implementation, and subsequent redesign of an innovative MBA (Master's of Business Administration) Decision Support Systems course. The curriculum is developed around a collaborative, technology-based approach that emphasizes teamwork and problem solving to teach students the principles and applications of decision…

This study compared the effects of personal characteristics and teaching practices in the development of professional competencies by undergraduate engineering students. A survey completed by 480 engineering students gathered information concerning students' personal, academic, and demographic characteristics; characteristics of their current…

This paper describes an inservice training program, developed collaboratively by the Idaho Assistive Technology Project and the Idaho State Department of Education, that is designed to increase the expertise of Idaho's special educators in the area of assistive technology. The lack of training Idaho's special educators have had in assistive…

This document contains two papers from a symposium on enhancing team performance. "The Impact of Organizational Sub-Cultures on Information Sharing: A Manufacturing Company's Dilemma" (Toni Powell) reports on a qualitative study that examined the subcultures of a company involved in significant change and noted the effects of conflicting…

In U.S. colleges and universities, much attention has been focused on the need to improve teaching quality and to involve students in the learning process. At the same time, many faculty members are faced with growing class sizes and with time pressures due to research demands. One useful technique is to divide the class into small groups and…

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a process and strategy designed to improve an organization's effectiveness and efficiency. The Elyria Schools, named as Ohio's model urban school district in 1991, uses TQM to implement updated strategic goals through a process emphasizing teamwork, best knowledge, prevention, and commitment to continuous…

This report describes how knowledge and skills learned in the Tavistock "Observation" course were applied to psychodynamic focused consultancy in England's Open University. Questions raised include the therapeutic and educational impact institutions may have on staff. The report explains how the Observational Course was important in…

This packet of materials describes the experience of personnel at Poultney (Vermont) Elementary School in transitioning a student with multiple disabilities from a special day school into a regular third grade classroom. The materials outline pros and cons of the inclusion concept, requirements for inclusion to be successful, the collaborative…

When created and operated appropriately, school-site councils can be a very useful component of school renewal. Councils are difficult to create, since members must shift roles, compromise strongly held beliefs, and invest considerable time, energy, and know-how. Advantages of group decision making are bringing diverse experience and expertise to…

A study examined the impact of work teams on production, quality, and morale within the State of Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, using data from fiscal years 1992 and 1993 when a change from a hierarchical organization to a team-based approach took place in the agency. Production was defined as the percentage of placements achieved…

Case studies are presented of three gifted students, indicating the social and academic problems which are standing in the way of their potential development. The students include a Vietnamese-American ninth-grade girl who has difficulty with English and does not feel accepted by other students, an underachieving seventh grade boy who speaks out…

This booklet synthesizes symposium discussions exploring how to transform organizations to compete in the rapidly changing world economy. First, the new cooperative organization is defined. Next, practical advice on making partnership organizations a reality is summarized. Suggestions include appealing to people's self-interest; coming up with…

The paper describes application of an interactive model to providing services for young children with special needs being mainstreamed in community day care programs. In this model, the resource consultant coordinates service delivery in interactions with: (1) the child and family; (2) early childhood educators; and (3) resource specialists. The…