The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) encourages the use of problem-solving prereferral approaches and permits local education agencies to use 15% of federal funds for early intervention services for students who have not been identified as needing special education but who need additional academic and…

Identity formation is a critical dimension of how and why students engage in science to varying degrees. In this paper, we use the lens of identity formation, and in particular identities in practice, to make sense of how and why Melanie, over the course of sixth grade, transformed from a marginalized member of the science class with a failing…

A new paradigm for computer-supported cooperative work and a research agenda for developing and testing this paradigm are proposed. The book outlines a comprehensive model of collaboration that integrates the cognitive/conceptual and social dynamics of groups. The challenge faced by all groups engaged in intellectual work is to divide the task so…

The retelling of a familiar story is analyzed as a narrative event, particularly when the story is told by more than one person in a group. Three important functions of retelling a familiar story are identified: (1) to foster group rapport; (2) to ratify group membership; and (3) to convey group values. Often the three functions co-exist in the…

Analyses of the efficacy of group psychotherapy indicate that group therapy demonstrates, in a majority of reviews, significant improvement over inert comparison groups and proves comparable or superior to other active treatment conditions. Because group therapy is a viable cost-efficient treatment option being used with increasing regularity…

Suggesting that Open Space Technology (OST) is an effective, fast, and easily repeatable strategy for organizing meetings of between 5 and 1,000 participants, this book offers numerous examples to illustrate the evolution of OST and explores what it is, and how it developed as a process for meeting management. The book also discusses how and why…

Suggesting that Open Space Technology (OST) is an effective, fast, and easily repeatable strategy for organizing meetings of between 5 and 1,000 participants, this book presents a hands-on, detailed description of the rationale, procedures, and requirements of OST. The book discusses how OST enables self-organizing groups of all sizes to deal with…

A study investigated children's comprehension of stories read to a small group, and to a whole class. Ten storybooks were read to two classes of first grade children from the same school in suburban New Jersey. Five children randomly selected from one class listened to the stories as part of a whole class. From the other first grade class, five…

Three agency teams at an ARC sheltered workshop providing comprehensive services to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families were surveyed about the dynamics of the team process and then received inservice training on the team process and on evaluating teams. The inservice training included lecture, discussion, role play, and…

This book is intended to serve as a primary resource in traditional courses in group counseling. Chapter 1 discusses the rationale for using group counseling and chapter 2 reviews the history of group counseling. In chapter 3, the two authors explain their theories of group counseling, one a group-centered theory and one an eclectic approach.…

This study compared the effects of team projects alone with team projects coupled with team-work education on college students' attitudes toward team work. The study modified a 30-item survey originally developed to study team work in professional research and development teams. The survey was administered to 250 students at the beginning and end…

This paper describes the findings of a study on group development using experiential education. Jones and Bearley describe group development as occurring in four phases. Each phase has a task and process dimension to it, where task refers to how the group gets the job done, and process refers to how the group members deal with one another along…

These facilitator's skill packets contain seven individual packets related to advanced social skills: (1) asking for help; (2) joining in; (3) giving instructions; (4) following instructions; (5) apologizing; (6) convincing others; and (7) making a decision. Each packet contains the following sections: definition of advanced social skills;…

An increasing number of corporations are using some form of experience-based outdoor training and development. Most of these programs follow a general process that includes: (1) introduction of the activity by the facilitator; (2) the experiential activity (during which the facilitator is observer or safety monitor); and (3) debriefing or…

This book is intended to assist group leaders, teachers, counselors, and peer helpers in the development of relationships and active learning. The first chapter, "Icebreakers," begins with an overview that explains the nature, purpose, and importance of these activities. Icebreakers are used to help group members learn about each other in a…