A practicum analyzed possible alternatives to identify the most successful reading intervention strategies before a child's development and learning is seriously or permanently impaired. K-3 students were identified for an early intervention reading program in a public school setting, through the Students Study Team, which was expanded to include…

Collaboration is beginning to be encouraged as colleges and schools search for ways to transcend the isolated circumstances of the independent scholar and the traditional classroom. Three collaborative projects that can be effective in preservice teacher education classes are: (1) a partnership with single school; (1) a partnership with a group of…

In a method of decentering used in a freshman composition course, collaborative workshopping is employed, beginning with the first meeting, pairing students with semester-long colleagues. Students critique each other's writing at the second class meeting. Differentiating this approach from others is a pedagogy that sees collaboration and…

Classroom teachers have long used group activities as part of their repertoire of teaching techniques. Personalities, goals, the group dynamic, the teacher's level of supervision, and other factors play a role in the efficacy of student collaboration. This paper describes five cooperative learning techniques: student teams-achievement divisions;…

Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is a nonprofit water education program for educators and young people. This curriculum and activity guide for kindergarten through twelfth grades is a collection of innovative, water-related activities that are hands-on, easy to use, and fun. The activities incorporate a variety of formats such as large…

Distance education may have a greater impact on the nature of higher education than any innovation since the invention of the printing press. In "virtual classrooms," students and faculty do not have to meet at the same time, collaborative learning is facilitated, and the specialized communication provided by computers can sometimes be…

Since the passage of U.S. Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, special education has undergone much change. This law mandates that any child with disabilities must be educated to the maximum extent possible, with the least restrictive environment possible. This book serves as a resource for teachers dealing…

Cooperative learning and its effect on social skill enhancement and participation of third grade students in the setting of physical education class were studied. A pilot study with 16 third graders studied whether students exhibiting undesirable behavior could be identified through observation and provided information used to develop a…

This study examines the effect of cooperative versus individual learning strategies and the need for affiliation on achievement, attitude, and student interactions when receiving instructional television lessons. Subjects (n=126) were undergraduate education majors enrolled in a required course in educational psychology. Subjects classified as…

The primary emphasis of this book is on new or revised earth science activities that promote concept development rather than mere verification of concepts learned by passive means. Chapter 2 describes philosophies, strategies, methods, and techniques to guide preservice and inservice teachers, school building administrators, and curriculum…

The physical science activities contained in this guide extend the natural curiosity of K-2 students (can be adapted for Prekindergarten) by providing them with: (1) objects and time for free exploration; (2) challenges to focus further explorations; and (3) opportunities for meaningful reflection. Throughout the unit students engage in many of…

The central question of this study was how gender, ethnicity, and ability influence students' participation in small cooperative groups, especially in relation to leadership. Interaction processes during cooperative group work were recorded in detail on the basis of direct observation and audio-recordings, and transcripts were analyzed by…

This report describes a program that was designed to identify and modify disruptive student behavior and improve academic performance. The targeted fifth grade class had been noted for inappropriate behavior and sporadic academic success, with problems documented by teacher observation surveys and self-reporting by students. Probable causes…

This paper traces the development of cooperative learning strategies in the practices of two middle school mathematics teachers who implemented an innovative mathematics curriculum with their 7th and 8th grade students. The evidence suggests that these teachers increased their use of cooperative learning strategies, and this increase was related…

Invitations sent to students affect their self-concepts in ways that may then effect prevention and avoidance of self-destructive patterns and behaviors. This paper provides a comparison view of existing research and discusses the relationship between research findings on the "Instructional Rhythm Model" and the "invitational class…