This research attempted to replicate and extend results from a previous study examining the effects on achievement of generating summaries or analogies while reading a lengthy text. Before the study, 111 undergraduate students from a large midwestern university were classified as high or low ability and randomly assigned to paired or individual…

Argues that the Socratic method of teaching has limitations in the modern classroom--as he indicates Socrates and Plato also recognized--including the difficulty of a dialog with 35 pupils and the time-consuming nature of the trial and error procedure. (JT)

Nine generalizations are made about what takes place in smaller elementary and secondary school classes (those with 25 students or less). The generalizations are based on findings from nearly 60 studies. (RC)

At one time or another virtually all public relations courses use the group project to facilitate "real world" learning for students. Public relations faculty report forming the groups themselves in one (or a combination) of three ways: basing the choice on class assignments and prior knowledge of the students; leaving the decision up to…

Drawing from a literature review of books, periodicals, and documents published since 1971, this paper provides the necessary background for a business/industrial trainer to reach trainees more effectively by identifying students' learning styles and matching styles with appropriate strategies for teaching/learning. Part A provides a summary of…

This book is an outgrowth of a conference funded by the National Institute of Education and held at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research in May 1982. A major theme of this volume of collected papers is how and in what ways grouping of students can be used effectively. Papers included are: (1) "Instructional Groups in the Classroom:…

Syndicate methods in higher education, which use small groups, are considered in 14 chapters. A class of 20-40 students may be divided into syndicates of 4 to 8 students, and the bulk of work consists of assignments conducted on a cooperative basis. There is some alternation between the work in the student-led syndicates and the tutor-led plenary…

A study investigated the relationship between teaching style and group conflict within the small instructional group. The conjecture was that the transactional teaching style is associated with more positive resolutions to group conflict than either the nomothetic or idiographic style. Research was conducted on 10 instructional groups within the…

Annotations from 12 entries in the ERIC database were selected as significant and useful sources of information about small-group cooperative learning. Five of the citations are literature reviews. Among these is a meta-analysis, drawn from 217 studies, about the effects of cooperative learning on student achievement and interpersonal attraction;…

Four conference papers are reviewed in this introduction to a symposium. The first paper is by Clements and Merriman, who make a case for the reflection of Steinberg's information processing componential model of cognitive processes in the LOGO language and computational environment; present a series of experiments that attempted to tailor the…

The booklet describes approaches to teaching a large group of severely developmentally disabled students. The book begins with a review of the circle time format intended to foster motivation through a sense of playfulness, novel items, and opportunities for student participation and response. A theme approach to planning is advocated, and…

The process of 'disindividualization' that takes place in group learning is considered its prime advantage. The main problem is that of preventing the use of the native language. A method utilizing various audiovisual aids is described. (Text is in French.) (TL)

The study reported here had two main aims: to collect data relating to verbal participation in 'conventional' tutor-led groups and to examine the feasibility of using leaderless groups in university teaching. (Author)

If teachers are to use the technique of small group work in their classrooms, students need to be prepared emotionally and cognitively for such a learning technique. In this article three phases are described which help students become more comfortable and more skilled in working in small groups. (Editor)

Discusses different methods of instruction, such as the Keller Plan, audio-visual-tutorial methods, contract systems, and group seminars. Also discusses the role of groups in professional associations, particularly the National Association of Geology Teachers. (MLH)