This paper discusses the relationship between Lev Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and cooperative learning. Vygotsky (1896-1934), a Russian psychologist, formulated a theory that children first develop lower mental functions such as simple perceptions, associative learning, and involuntary attention; then, through social interactions with…

Adolescence is a vulnerable period of life; teens are faced with challenging issues such as stress and suicide. Facilitating informed decision-making among adolescents requires educational programs that present information in compelling and credible ways. With this in mind, a peer education program was developed, using older students to teach…

This study is the seventh in a series of investigations on the effectiveness of the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) approach to cooperative learning among college students. The STAD approach features heterogeneous teams of four to six students who tutor each other on course materials and prepare each other for weekly quizzes. Students…

ENLIST-Micros (ENcourage LIteracy in Science Teachers' uses of Microcomputers) develops state networks of science and mathematics teachers providing inservice education and support for the implementation of computers and technology in the classroom. In Alabama, the project operated from August 1990 through June 1994. Most inservice workshops were…

The National Goals for Education signal a new paradigm. To strengthen this paradigm, a 20-year apprenticeship, starting in the fifth grade, is proposed for all future teachers and professors (in fact, all students, regardless of career goals at that time). Twelve years of peer tutoring experience for virtually all students would begin this…

This book presents a guide for setting up a new teacher mentoring program. Chapter 1, "Relating," stresses the important part a relationship plays in the mentoring process. A set of introspective exercises teaches ways to establish trust and pay attention to nonverbal communication. Chapter 2, "Assessing," provides ways to gather and diagnose data…

This manual provides a comprehensive training approach for preparing high school students to tutor at all grade levels in many different content areas. The first chapter provides an introduction to the peer tutoring concept. The material is geared toward helping the tutor gain self-understanding and awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses.…

This report examines five programs that use peer support groups as the key element of their prevention or intervention efforts in preventing or reducing the incidence of substance abuse, school failure, and other problems of adolescence. Chapter 1 provides introductory material. Chapter 2 contains background information on the peer program…

In an effort to deliver practical staff development opportunities to bilingual education teachers and build a support system for them, a peer coaching inservice workshop model was developed. Over a period of one school year, about 40 elementary bilingual and English-as-a-second-language teachers participated in a 6-session workshop series with a…

In 1991, a study was conducted to assess the relative effects of verbal mediation (VM), feedback monitoring (FM), and instructional alignment (AL) on community college learners studying earth science topics. The study sought to investigate the proportion of test score variance explained by VM and FM and to compare this variance to the amount of…

Although information regarding the consequences of adolescent pregnancy and childbirth is disseminated, the recipients of that information are most often adults. To present this information directly to never-pregnant adolescents, an annual conference, outside of the authority structure of the school was developed in Bangor, Maine. The three…

School change is not the rational deliberate process that some people might believe it is. One of the realities of schooling is that teachers possess their own theories about what they do, and about what is reasonable, feasible, and possible in classroom teaching. This is invariably knowledge based upon 'lived experiences,' rather than on the…

The main tasks of the foreign language writing class should be to focus on the writing process and to help the students see their work as an act of communication with value in itself. An important means of encouraging good writing is the provision of good readers during the composition stage. A Swedish undergraduate course in English as a second…

A practicum addressing (1) elementary school students' need to increase their sight vocabulary, (2) their needs for self-esteem, (3) their individual learning differences, and (4) the practical difficulties of providing additional practice time and personnel to teach is described in this guide. The introduction of the guide discusses the community…

Research has shown that cooperative learning rather than competitive behavior enhances students' achievement, self-esteem, and satisfaction while reducing performance anxiety. Although cooperation within a small group results in greater productivity and member satisfaction, it should be considered only as a means to an end, not an end in itself. A…