The advantages and disadvantages of the use of the oral interview and role-playing to assess communicative competence are outlined. The interview is criticized and deemed an inappropriate form of testing, and it is proposed that role-playing allows better assessment of sociolinguistic competence. Group interaction is suggested as providing another…

With collaborative learning, the professor no longer acts like an expert dispensing knowledge to passive students. The professor becomes "a guide, rather than an authority figure." Undergraduates are used as teaching assistants, peer tutors, and members of research teams. (MLW)

Tests a model of the factors that influence groups to follow various paths as they make decisions. Uses three panels of contingency variables to predict properties of the group's developmental path. Finds that group decision paths and their properties can be predicted as a function of task and relational contingencies. (MS)

This article examines the teacher's contribution to the indirect effect that within-classroom grouping has on student achievement. Two distinct types of groups (ability groups and peer work-groups) are discussed and recommendations made for effective use of within-class grouping. (IAH)

Through lively discussions of specially selected texts, students of diverse abilities often discover that they can learn a lot from one another. The Touchstones Project in a Baltimore (Maryland) middle school features group discussion of classical texts. (Author/TE)

Discusses the use of role plays in training for human communication skills, sales skills, and management skills. Rules for the application of role plays are given, steps in designing role plays are described, typical role play structures are explained, and materials for instructors and participants are discussed. (LRW)

A study investigated the effect of computer-mediated communication, or computer conferencing, on traditional gender-based differences in discussion participation, including patterns in turn-taking, perceptions of the kinds of contributions made by men and women, and actual contributions made. Continued potential for gender imbalance is found. (MSE)

Describes an activity in which students participate in an unsupervised three-hour adventure-based learning expedition in the urban core of Hamilton (Ontario). Explains objectives and parameters, and presents nine tasks to be performed. Discusses students' reactions to the urban community exploration in debriefing, including the activity's positive…

Assesses the effectiveness of a teambuilding intervention among a group of department leaders. Finds that, three years after the intervention began, group members reported an increase in ability to raise issues and manage conflict; increases in mutual praise, support, and cooperation; clarification of roles and responsibilities; and a long-term…

The Electric Maze is an interactive learning device that promotes group learning skills among management teams. It provides a "practice field" where participants can explore and apply the principles of effective teamwork under realistic conditions of uncertainty, discomfort, and mistakes. This training aims to enable management teams to…

A study comparing the influence of the belayor on the development of trust between rock-climbing partners in a corporate adventure training program found that permitting clients to belay each other greatly enhanced the development of trust, as opposed to employing specialized technicians or facilitators for belaying. (LP)

Discusses four objectives that guided the design of the teaching and learning areas of the Language Learning and Resource Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These objectives are classrooms contiguous to the language lab, accommodation of small-group work, a flexible facility, and access to the outside world. (CK)

Describes the development of the Multidimensional Audioconferencing Classification System (MACS), an instrument for the tabulation, analysis, and interpretation of audioconferencing instructional interactions. MACS draws on three theoretical and empirical streams: (1) systematic small group interaction analysis; (2) systematic classroom…

Discusses a study examining the perspectives of three gifted middle school students on peer-led discussions and on each other. Highlights issues of voice, gender, interruption, and empowerment. (SR)

Presents a five-step model for organizing instruction to focus on using the second language for real-life communication. These steps are listening to the spoken language, learning how the language works, building skills, role playing, and speaking in real-life situations. The teacher's role is to ask for more precise effort from the students. (CK)