Group leaders of 10- to 13-year-olds may use this program guide to help the preteens interact with young children through six discussion meetings and five visits with a preschool child at home. Discussion topics concern (1) the family environment of young children, (2) children's play; (3) children's play areas at home, (4) safety at home, (5)…

A synthesis of findings from 38 studies on group-based applications of mastery learning strategies are presented. Meta-analytic procedures were used to combine the results of the studies and to calculate overall estimates of the effects of group-based applications. Results show that such applications yield consistently positive effects on both…

This paper reviews the results of training more than 2,000 teachers in a small group instructional method, cooperative learning. Comparisons were made between teachers with more than 15 hours of training, and teachers with fewer hours of training. It was found that teachers who had more formal training were more likely to use small group…

An exploratory study investigated the relationship between students' achievement in and perceptions of a freshman composition course based on the collaborative skill rehearsal model. This model involves preparation for writing through rehearsal, in small group activities, of skills students will need to successfully complete their individual work.…

Discussion groups are an excellent instructional strategy for exploring ideas, disclosing views on issues, and uncovering learning needs. Their strength lies in that they draw upon the experiences and values of the group members. They are most successful when structured in such a way that they encourage all members to contribute freely to the…

The purpose of this study was to determine how 16 Navy (self-paced) and 18 Marine Corps (group-paced) Aviation Storekeeper Schools students would perform on the same test, assessing mastery of an identical topic related to the selected variables of learning styles and Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test scores. No significant…

Drawing on the author's long personal involvement in several interpersonal communication movements, this paper defines and defends sensitivity training and experiential learning. After examining some philosophical and ethical themes and theories of education, the paper recounts some difficulties of fitting alternative modes of education into the…

These five papers reflect a single project--discourse analysis in the curriculum. The first paper, "The Small Group Course as a Setting for Naturalistic Research" (Charles Petrie and Charles Laufersweiler), describes the teaching process of integrating both a graduate and an undergraduate class from which the other four papers describe resulting…

A discussion is presented on classroom learning centers specifically designed to teach a concept, a unit, or a larger part of the curriculum. The four basic types of learning centers (diagnostic, enrichment, motivational, prescriptive) are described. Examples are given of how learning centers may vary, depending upon their objectives, and a…

Students test their knowledge of accounting theory by setting up a small business and following through its total development by use of the accounting practice sets. (BP)

A personalized learning strategy (PLS) was successfully employed in the small group discussion unit of a basic speech communication course. This document describes the rationale behind PLS and discusses ways to implement it. An outline of the small group discussion unit in which PLS was used matches the necessary learning experiences to the…

IMPACT II is a teacher-to-teacher networking program designed to improve teaching in New York City schools. Teachers who have been working on new ideas that need more refinement are eligible for $300 grants offered to program developers. Teachers who would like to adopt ideas previously developed by the program may receive $200 as replicator…

This practicum describes a videotaped growth group/learning community experience designed and facilitated by a counselor as a practical application of Carl Rogers' theory on encounter groups. The goal was to increase students' interpersonal effectiveness. The purpose of the practicum was fourfold: (1) to form a learning community and videotape…

A teaching method particularly effective with children who are hard to teach arithmetic and reading is described. Known as a direct instructional system for teaching arithmetic and reading, it is a set of materials in which everything the teacher says and does is specified. This technique is effective in small group instruction. Specific…