The founder of an all-women canoe-tripping company describes the components that have made it successful: shared leadership, outdoor guides as facilitators, support of individual choices, a nonprescriptive agenda, conflict avoidance and resolution, balance between getting somewhere and experiencing the moment, focus on women's strengths, and a…

A trainer in personal development gives advice, in the form of reflective questions, to group facilitators on appropriate language use, interpreting nonverbal communications (body language), and the appropriate use of nonverbal communications. (TD)

Explores one innovative technique, Open Space, for involving faculty and staff in higher education planning through one- to three-day meetings with a planning theme but minimum structure and no preset agenda. Offers examples of the method's use in planning curriculum reform, information technology, campus planning, and classroom teaching at Keene…

Behaviors that constitute violence include threatening behavior, verbal or written threats, harassment, verbal abuse, vandalism, theft, arguments, and physical attacks. Describes 14 policy actions that camp management can take to prevent violence, 20 warning signs of violence, how violence impacts camps, and 5 tips for creating a safe camp. (TD)

A telephone survey of 90 advisors to self-advocacy groups identified a wide array of advisor activities and gained information on how advisors see their activities changing as groups develop. Results are interpreted in terms of theories of group development. Results suggest that, instead of rigid stages of group development, a more flexible model…

Tested the ability of 154 female candidates to two Israeli educational programs to rate each other on oral communication, human interaction, and leadership skills compared to assessments of their skills by professional assessors. There were high correlations between professional and participant ratings; professional ratings were significantly…

Metaphors are guiding images that influence one's approach to problem solving. Experiential learning is a process of metaphor change; the task of educators is to facilitate development of new metaphors that generate new potential when old metaphors don't work. Discusses stages of metaphor development, creating an open learning space, and…

Issues relating to library association staff roles and responsibilities are explored. Reasons for their sometimes conflicting relationships with member volunteers are examined. Suggestions and recommendations for promoting effective use of these valuable partners on the association scene are offered. (Author/AEF)

The transformational leadership style, in which power is delegated to participants who then work to their capacity to complete required tasks, is appropriate for all people to combat the current tendency to consume experiences without developing responsibility or commitment. A model of personal growth through adventure is outlined. (SAS)

Effective adventure programming is explained in terms of the "significant learning" experience, involving periods of tension, questioning, and transfer during personal and social learning. Adventure programming that is supportive, adaptive, and properly sequenced maximizes the potential of significant learning. Trust- and…

Compares the development of self-esteem and psychological well being in clients who participated in an experimental course on group process with those who did not participate. Results suggest that clients who were taught group process showed greater increases along these variables. Discusses the implications for the importance of helping clients…

Reports results from a study of university students in Sweden that investigated aspects of communicative processes using face-to-face and computer-mediated communication. Examined influences of gender on communication equality, social relations, and communicative processes and studied differences in self-awareness. Results showed few significant…

Reprints an article originally published in 1951. Argues that the group method should not be foisted on young teachers as the only way to teach. Notes that the group method requires a great deal of preparation and much teacher direction. Suggests that smart teachers will continue to use a variety of teaching methods. (RS)

Studied the social interaction of 7- and 9-year-olds working in the same or mixed gender pairs on language-based computer and noncomputer tasks. At both ages, mixed gender pairs showed more assertive and less transactive (collaborative) interaction than same gender pairs on both tasks. Discusses the mediational role of the computer and the social…

Presents five group problem-solving initiatives for use in adventure and experiential settings, focusing on conflict resolution, corporate workplace issues, or adjustment to change. Includes target group, group size, time and space needs, activity level, overview, goals, props, instructions, and suggestions for framing and debriefing the…