An action research study examined a teacher's developing collaborative practices in her secondary curriculum development and instructional methods class. The class was composed of 14 women ranging in age from 21 to approximately 50 in a medium sized southwestern university. Data were collected through a reflective journal and from certain student…

A program was developed for improving the social skills and reading levels of 29 elementary grade students in a low- to middle-class manufacturing community located in an urban area in northern Illinois. The problem was originally noted by the amount of teacher time spent correcting behavior and the low reading levels of students as evidenced by…

An instructional approach to reasoning and critical thinking which fulfills behavioral objectives and retains a general educational perspective for the development of student knowledge and skills is the "micro inductive reasoning unit." In this approach neither subject matter nor propositions are prescribed. The teacher acts as…

This report examines an attempt to use cooperative learning in two sections of a college chemistry course and focuses specifically on male and female student attitudes and achievement in the course. A total of 46 students participated. One lab section used cooperative structures throughout an entire 16-week semester while the other section used…

With the aim of relating reading with wider social action, this paper discusses the macro-cloze procedure for reading a novel, which promotes social interaction while reading and helps develop students' ability to predict, ask questions, and summarize. The paper includes a brief rationale for the procedure (in which each small group of students…

A teacher educator incorporates active involvement of students and choice in two different college classrooms. The first class was an undergraduate reading/literacy education class. Students were offered the choice of the RAP (Reading Addiction Process) option or taking the final exam. Students read materials of their own choice on a daily basis.…

Mathematics problem solving skills need to be developed through meaningful interactions. Computer simulations combined with cooperative learning methods provide students a context within which to construct an understanding of mathematics problem solving. This study examines the distribution and sequence of events that result in acquisition of…

The social context in which instruction takes place dramatically affects individual learning, particularly for female and minority students. Social context refers to the understandings and expectations that teachers and students use to make sense of each other's behavior. It is hypothesized that some students fail because learning, as presented by…

This paper illustrates how organizational theory can be usefully applied to issues of classroom management. A review of research findings on the relationship between the teacher's use of authority and the implementation and outcomes of "complex instruction" is offered. "Complex instruction" refers to instruction in which different groups carry out…

This article describes the use of drama activities to motivate students, to teach vocabulary and pronunciation, and to enhance cooperative learning. The author describes in five steps the classroom procedure of an activity based on the play of "Romeo and Juliet." The author discusses the results of the activity and its implications. Play…

A description is given of a cooperative learning experience conduct with small groups of racially mixed, underachieving high school students. Twenty-nine students were organized in groups of three or four members each. The groups worked together in all laboratory assignments and daily work, and studied together for quizzes and tests in a science…

The classroom setting is a source for daily and creative writing material for teachers as well as students. Teacher and student writing samples help to illustrate classrooms as cultures-in-the-making in which new rules are invented every day and suggest that stories of classroom life must of necessity end in question marks and untied threads.…

The observation of 18 hours of videotapes of 44 eighth grade boys and girls working in same-sex and mixed-pair groups with MYRESNAK (A Danish variation of LOGO) mathematics software indicated gender-specific differences in cooperation and work style. These differences are explained in terms of gender-specific socialization practices and are…

Small all-female, all-male, and mixed-gender discussion groups were selected from among freshman composition students to discuss papers which the students had written. The use of particle markers (i.e., "well,""ok,""um," etc.) was also examined. Findings suggest that women's speech seems to be better adapted to…

This thematic issue is made up of papers by practicing administrators and university personnel on the topic of cooperative learning. The following articles are included: (1) "The Cooperative Learning Environment: Restructuring without Rebuilding" (Harvey C. Foyle and Lawrence Lyman); (2) "The Role of the Administrator When Adopting Cooperative…