Describes the use of electronic mail as an integral part of reading education courses, in which students read journal articles related to course content, write their responses on e-mail, and distribute them to the entire class. Notes that e-mail drew students together to form a community of learners who shared and learned from one another. (SR)

Investigates the effectiveness of Student-Team Achievement Division (STAD) for teaching chemistry in randomly selected high school classes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Also examines the differences among groups with regard to gender, geographic area, and ability. Findings indicate that STAD is a more effective teaching method than…

Reports on a 3-year study of patterns of student-student social interaction that mediated metacognitive activity in senior secondary school mathematics classrooms. Unsuccessful problem solving was characterized by students' poor metacognitive decisions exacerbated by lack of critical engagement with each other's thinking while successful outcomes…

Considers that to prepare students to thrive in a group project environment, educators need to teach them effective teamwork and communication skills. Describes two tools that can help accomplish this task, the electronic discussion board and the chat room. Concludes that these tools can be a tremendous aid for faculty to address group project…

Studied the construction of explanations in a social situation of science learning in which 18 university students in Finland participated. Introduced an analytic tool for untangling the processes of explanation building that takes a synchronous and diachronic approach to communicative and cognitive processes of student discourse. Data show how…

Focused on two fifth graders in the Netherlands and studied two approaches to working with models in primary mathematics education: providing models versus designing models in coconstruction. Findings suggest that understanding may be improved by models students made themselves, and that students of this age are able to design models working…

Discusses collaborative explorations of collage, drama, and poetry with visiting artists, teachers, and students. Describes a project in which the picture book, "I Live in Music," was shared with students in Jean Dickinson's class as an extension of a study of the Harlem Renaissance. Presents a script that reflects the authors' story of…

Describes an investigation on plant nutrition that was developed in the form of a guided inquiry learning cycle and can be implemented in a wide range of grade levels from middle school through college. Investigates the needs of plants to live. (Contains 17 references.) (YDS)

Investigates the effects of cooperative learning on student achievement and attitudes of middle school biology students. Compares cooperative learning strategy, small group instruction, and traditional teaching methods. Reports significant achievement and attitude differences in the cooperative learning groups. (Contains 46 references.)…

The partnership program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine in which less experienced students are paired with more experienced students during the last four years of a six-year curriculum was evaluated. Results indicated satisfaction with the program and that most partnerships worked well with improved teamwork being a…

A successful cooperative group has a balance of both task and maintenance which comes from group members using appropriate social skills as the group works together. Suggestions are made for teachers to facilitate the use of these skills. (JD)

Four measures of performance of three types of pairings (boy/boy, girl/girl, girl/boy) involved in completion of a language task on microcomputers gave consistent results. Single-gender pairs improved in comparison with individuals working alone but mixed-gender pairs did not. Single-gender pairs tended to share task and discuss solutions, whereas…

Describes some recent science education developments that might make scientific literacy a reachable goal for all students, not just the academically elite. Instead of inculcating "factoids," educators must stress depth over breadth, link concepts to instructional themes, and engage students through direct experiences and cooperative learning.…

Describes LaGuardia Community College's American Social History Project. Focuses on four aspects of the program: a multi-media curriculum based on the recollections and writings of the "unsung heroes" and ordinary people who shaped U.S. history; a thematically integrated cluster of four courses; a pedagogy of collaborative learning; and…

Presents a hands-on activity for bridging the gap between the exposure to three-dimensional topography and contour mapping. This activity describes the use of a volcano-making activity and offers laboratory sheets that can be duplicated for student use. Argues that students learn the concept of contour mapping better in a guided fashion that holds…