Describes how "jigsawing," a teaching method using two types of group inquiry in sequence, is uniquely suited to the classroom analysis of literature with multiple perspectives. Outlines the procedure with examples from lessons on Judith Guest's "Ordinary People." (MM)

Examines achievement in individually competitive and cooperatively reward-structured environments during a seven-week class period. Reports no differences between the two treatment groups at posttest. (Author/YP)

A group of professional staff developers committed individually to different movements cooperated to unite five varied programs: Instructional Theory into Practice (ITIP), thinking skills, cooperative learning, teaching styles and strategies, and reading and writing in the content areas. The group rediscovered the big ideas shaping curriculum,…

Summarizes research findings on repeated readings (RR), noting that rereading is a proven instructional tool. Suggests three ways to incorporate RR into a reading program: direct instruction; use of learning centers; and cooperative learning strategies. Includes procedural guidelines for implementing RR activities. (MM)

Emphasizes, with reference to Piaget, the importance of cooperative learning. Presents a text model describing the four aspects/participants of literal communication, and asserts that children confront a text from all aspects simultaneously. Describes three examples of interpersonal reading and writing activities observed in Austrian classrooms.…

Describes a simulation game requiring students to role play and complete extensive writing exercises to help them become interested in Willa Cather's "My Antonia" and the pioneer experience of relocation and resettlement. Contains an extensive description of the simulation rules and procedures. (TB)

Provides an analysis of conflict arising out of creative writing students' attempts at coauthorship. Gives insight into the kinds of conflict underlying collaborative writing projects. Considers conflict in coauthorship within the context of current knowledge regarding conflict in larger collaborative contexts. (HB)

A fourth-grade teacher describes educational uses of a loft he constructed in his classroom. After drafting a constitution, the children brainstormed possible uses as reading/writing nook, small-group work area, and time-out space. The loft also serves as a minilibrary, private conference room, test makeup room, and staging area. (MLH)

Analyzes students' attempts to answer examination questions involving stoichiometry and chemical equilibrium and reports that the majority of the students do not fully understand either concept. Concludes that the main difficulty with these topics is that they are highly abstract and first taught to students before they have reached the stage of…

Presents an activity that highlights the life of Harriet Brooks, a lesser-known Canadian physicist. Objectives include stressing Harriet Brooks's contribution to science and developing a historical connection to other prominent figures, illustrating to students that attitudes about women in science were very constraining in Harriet Brooks's time,…

Describes alternative high school for at-risk youth that attempts to meet key needs identified by Brendtro, Brokenleg, and Van Brockern (1990): generosity, independence, belonging, and mastery. Notes that needs are addressed within two complementary and well-validated educational frameworks: mastery learning and cooperative learning. Discusses…

Provides a transcript of a dialogue between two researchers concerning their experiences as collaborative ethnographers. Describes some of the positive and negative benefits of collaborative work. (HB)

Drama in middle-school classrooms can provide action, experimentation, and exploration of character, motivation, and text. Because it provides expanded contexts for language learning in a cooperative social setting, drama has numerous educational benefits for young adolescents. Short drama activities for middle schoolers include story reading,…

Discussion of a prototype intelligent education system called WOMBAT (Weighted Objectives Method by Arguing with the Tutor) focuses on dialogue and negotiation in collaborative problem solving. The results of a formative evaluation, in which the system was used by 10 subjects who commented on various aspects of the design, are presented. (Contains…

Describes how the introduction of cooperative learning principles improved peer interaction during group work among preservice teachers in an undergraduate content area reading course. (SR)