This manual draws together evolving information about how group size influences what the group does and how learning tasks may be designed and employed to accomplish desired outcomes. The manual includes ideas from research on class size and its outcomes; theories of learning and development; and validated experiences of expert educators. It…

One of the issues a college writing instructor grapples with in teaching writing is how best to structure collaborative groups to maximize benefit for each student in a multicultural classroom where many students might fairly be considered "marginalized"--to create an environment in which they become "insiders." Criteria sets for forming group…

Many project teams in organizations are highly structured, members have clearly defined roles, and they possess knowledge about how to effectively manage their projects and meetings. On the other hand, students in educational environments lack significant experience working in teams. Therefore, student teams are often poorly structured, members…

This document contains 20 edited presentations, each in a two-page digest-like format, from the 1998 conference of the Association for Experiential Education (AEE). Presentations are: (1) "Adapting Equipment and Teaching Methods for Persons with Disabilities" (Cindy Dillenschneider); (2) "Adventure Programming and Facilitating When You Don't Know…

This paper examines how teaching within a traditional classroom benefits from insights and techniques developed through online teaching. A critical assumption underlining it is that much online instruction would be performed by faculty members who also teach, as part of their work load, traditional face-to-face classes. The format of the paper…

Experiences from a distance course conducted during 1996-97 for high-school teachers in Sweden and reports from other experiments have yielded the conclusion that collaborating via electronic conferencing systems demands new communication patterns. This paper uses theories about communication, group processes, and shared symbolic order and social…

Examines the idea of organizational communication competence and describes how behavioral, cognitive, and performance objectives can be developed for a simulation course. Explains how the course works using small groups, organizational problems, and problem-solving discussions. Includes a sample syllabus with evaluation forms, a discussion of…

This study recorded and analyzed 96 student discussion groups to identify successful dialogue strategies; to highlight difficulties deriving from group characteristics; and to examine how students behave, what they gain, and which students benefit most. A model of a successful discussion is outlined and study findings considered. (Author/SJL)

The amount and cognitive level of teacher questions and student discussion in small clinical discussion groups were studied. The "process" of how small group interaction related to certain outcomes, such as the students' critical thinking and their performance on the examinations of the National Board of Medical Examiners is examined.…

Presents an analysis of faculty dynamics in nursing curriculum situations based on the social theories of conflict, community power, and interest-group to form a political model representing stages in policy development. These stages are applied to curriculum change examples to show how social conflict and power plays cause problems. (MF)

Discusses the nature of social interaction in the school setting as it relates to the child's moral development. The ideal setting is one in which the student is a full participant in the educational process, including discipline. Teachers must respect the child and allow him/her to interact with his/her peers. (JAC)

In the first of a three-part series, the authors examine the origin of the organizational development movement, instrumented team learning seminars for managers, their experimental programs for industry at various locations, the development of the "managerial grid," management by objectives, behavior modification, and other approaches to…

Three large, unstructured workshops (500-800 people) demonstrated how large groups of people can participate together and collectively choose ways of action aimed at satisfying all. Particular significance given to participants' shift away from looking for outside sources of answers, values and standards to discovery of strengths and answers…

Because of the complexity of large-scale projects, teams of experts have become the new designers of the built environment, with clients, decision makers, and buildings' users demanding inclusion in these teams. The Grand Frame Game is described as a technique for including people in decision making. (MLW)

The study was designed to provide an informal, structured, off-campus retreat to enable college students to gain knowledge about one another and themselves as a means of developing improved cooperation with and concern for each other in their college methods classes. Data indicated positive group feelings after the retreat. (Author)