This paper describes how educators can develop authentic enrichment clusters to provide highly engaging learning activities that make schools enjoyable places for gifted students. Part 1 of the paper discusses the importance of authentic learning, in which the student applies relevant knowledge, thinking skills, and interpersonal skills to the…

This study investigated the effects of having student writers use a set of networked computers to assist them in their writing lessons. Subjects were 15 students who were designated by their school district as remedial writers because they did not pass a writing competency test in their freshman year. For 10 weeks students participated in the…

Two instructors with different approaches to writing collaborated in the preparation of a junior-level advanced college composition course. Both instructors were concerned about the applicability of the "workshop" in teaching composition, and about the question of how to address authority in the workshops. Students were asked to respond…

Five cooperative learning methods are described with the theories that support them. The five methods are: (1) Group Investigation (GI), developed by S. Sharan and others; (2) Jigsaw, developed by E. Aronson and others; (3) Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD), developed by R. E. Slavin and others; (4) Learning Together, developed by D. W.…

Cooperative learning has received a substantial amount of empirical support to indicate it is a viable classroom reward structure. It has been recommended that school psychologists might add this strategy to their repertoire of interventions to be used in consulting with teachers, particularly integrating handicapped students. A structured…

A reading comprehension program was developed and implemented that addressed the needs of sixth-grade students. The program focused on critical thinking skills using a teamwork approach. Each heterogeneous small group used a checklist composed of before, during, and after reading questions and activities. At the conclusion of the 12-week…

This digest discusses the rationale for integrating language and content instruction, and provides an overview of some of the program models and teaching techniques that focus on this approach. The following program models are highlighted: Content-based language instruction, sheltered subject matter teaching, theme-based instruction, sheltered…

A total of 58 preservice teachers enrolled in an elementary childhood program at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts were surveyed before and after taking a special math, science, and social studies course called Piggybacking. This course emphasizes child-centered and cooperative learning by allowing elementary school students to choose…

Much of the reason behind educational reform is the belief that schools are not economically productive enough, that students are not learning enough for the resources invested in education. Other critics reject economic productivity as a framework for educational reform and support philosophical, psychological, or moral frameworks. However,…

The development of appropriate science learning environments for young children is an urgent and justifiable concern of many. By applying combined features of cooperative learning and informal inquiry to an investigation of shadow formation, researchers were able to observe closely the natural behaviors adopted by twenty-seven students aged 7-9…

A program was developed to improve the reading scores and communication skills of ninth-grade students from multicultural backgrounds. The students' socioeconomic status ranges from below the poverty level to upper middle class. The population of the high school in suburban Chicago (Illinois) is multiethnic, the English is not always the primary…

This paper discusses obstacles to teaching online documentation and shares a collaborative approach to overcoming these obstacles. The paper describes three obstacles: (1) students have had limited access to online documents and hypertext systems; (2) standards and principles of effective design for online documents are not clearly established;…

This paper describes an attempt to introduce 33 education majors to the concept of cooperative learning as a teaching method they may use when they are classroom teachers. The benefits of cooperative learning for young students are briefly discussed, and an explanation is given of the "Student Teams Achievement Divisions" (STAD) system of grade…

Strategies are presented for including limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in learning activities designed for monolingual English-speaking students. The natural approach to language acquisition described by Krashen and Terrell is highlighted, followed by a description of the development of second language proficiency. Suggested strategies…

A project increased both interest and learning in a basic public speaking course, alleviating public speaking fears and promoting respect for the discipline. The specific purpose was to illustrate what makes a good speech through the analysis of a published speech chosen from designated collections in the library. Small group problem-solving…