Student-led workshops are helping undergraduate students learn from each other as they tackle organic chemistry. Each week, small groups brainstorm tough problems in sessions guided by upper-class students who have taken and passed the course. Debating and discussing chemistry problems with peers engages students with the material and boosts…

Discusses the place of cooperative learning in education and presents mathematics activities for cooperative groups. Concludes with the benefits of using scored discussions in mathematics classrooms. Contains 16 references. (ASK)

Looks for appropriate interaction analysis/content analysis techniques that assist in examining the negotiation of meaning and coconstruction of knowledge in collaborative learning environments facilitated by computer conferencing. Reviews strengths and shortcomings of existing interaction analysis techniques and proposes a new model based on…

Five English language learners (ELL) teachers and 117 elementary students, including students with disabilities, participated in the Class-Wide Peer Tutoring Learning Management System. Students made considerable progress in mastering the curriculum over periods ranging from 15 to 21 weeks of school and students and teachers were satisfied with…

A study investigated the effects of teaching 24 middle school students with learning disabilities and mild mental retardation to tutor one another in reading comprehension strategies. Performance on reading comprehension tests following reciprocal tutoring yielded significant performance advantages for students involved in tutoring. Students…

Investigates the use of asynchronous (mailing lists) and synchronous (chat sessions) Internet-based communication and its impact on teachers' attitudes toward collaboration, activity completion rate, and test performance. Also examines the impact of collaboration on activity completion rate and teacher performance measured by objective tests. The…

Applies instructional strategies derived from the concept of mastery learning and cooperative learning to 104 undergraduate social science students enrolled in three sections of a required course. Finds significant effects for the combined mastery/cooperative learning condition, showing greater change in self-concept and higher achievement…

Provides information on Manifest Destiny and the expansionist ideals of the United States, especially during the 19th century. Offers a lesson plan that will help students understand the concept of Manifest Destiny, including an assessment activity, how to expand the lesson, an appendix, and references. (CMK)

Studied the relative impact on student achievement when students were paired with one other student or a large group of peers and when they worked with a teacher or did not. Results for 109 elementary school students indicate that access to a teacher or a large group of peers were equally potent learning resources in computer supported…

Describes a castle-building exercise in which students first learn about castles and then, using a map of the school, show on paper how they would convert the school into a castle. (TB)

Argues for "potential spaces" in which teachers share stories, examine moments of challenge, and articulate revisionary solutions as imperative to the educational process. Suggests that it is through such spaces that teachers form the voices of critique and possibility that they need to address both their classrooms and institutions. (TB)

"Lights, Camera, Action" is a culminating language arts video activity for middle school students with mild disabilities, designed to integrate reading, writing, listening, speaking, acting, drawing, technical, and time-management skills. The cooperative learning activity resulted in production of a short videotaped program which was later viewed…

Describes the CIStudio (Chemical Information Studio), a one-credit undergraduate chemistry course at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Focuses on the integration of electronic and print sources of chemical information, especially Internet-accessible reference and database services. Discusses administrative, instructor, and student issues involved.…

Studies students' writing, thinking, and cooperative processes in a research and argumentation class (part of a first-year composition sequence) working on a research assignment in small groups. Suggests ways to help students become more successful cooperative researchers. (SR)

Asserts that effective cooperative learning maximizes comprehension and teamwork skills by holding students individually accountable in their efforts to help the team. Describes the Peer and Self-Evaluation System (PSES), which provides students with confidential feedback regarding personal strengths and limitations. Contains 10 references. (VWC)