Adapted from a simulation for adults, a British project engaged 12-14 year-olds in producing school newspapers using Internet sources. Outcomes included exposure to information/communications technology, improved computer and communication skills, experience with teamwork, slight improvements in writing and spelling, and increased cooperation…

Uses data over a seven-month period from three teams' use of a collaborative electronic technology ("Team Room") to illustrate that genre systems--sequences of interrelated communicative actions--are a means of structuring (deliberately or habitually) six dimensions of communicative interaction: purpose (why), content (what),…

A study of 94 intact autonomous work groups performing multi-part tasks revealed that group creative performance increased exponentially with the number of highly creative group members composing the group. However, this occurred only when Team Creativity-Relevant Processes within the group were relatively high. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article describes a participatory action research (PAR) project designed to evaluate Parent to Parent programs in five states. The process of developing a shared understanding of the program and of the purpose for evaluating them, along with an on-going willingness of parents and researchers to compromise, led to creative solutions to…

Innovative teaching methods such as collaborative learning, teamwork, and mind maps were introduced to teach computer science and statistics courses at a South African university. Soft systems methodology was adapted and used to manage the research process of evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching methods. This research method provided proof…

Explores the ways in which shifting meanings of childhood and constructions of sexually abused children and the structuring of team practice pose problems for multidisciplinary team members. Argues that understanding child sexual abuse and developing community-based practice approaches must be informed by broader perspectives. Suggests a model of…

Possible prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal causes of cerebral palsy are explored and a causal pathway theory is presented that provide a methodology to study the impact of the various causal factors. The role of an interdisciplinary team in assessment and program development is discussed and prevention strategies are presented. (Contains…

Defensive routines and tolerance of skilled incompetence can harm student team performance. Strategies to overcome these problems include emphasizing the importance of process learning, teaching team development, providing practice in communication skills, coaching individual students, and providing graded feedback for process quality. (Contains…

Offers five recommendations for teachers or facilitators of team communication: (1) students should avoid groupthink; (2) offer students methods for reaching agreement in a timely manner; (3) vary subjects of group writing assignments; (4) encourage all students to be active participants; and (5) emphasize the importance of good writing skills to…

In study 1, 313 supervisor/supervisee pairs rated supervisees' professional expertise; supervisees gave themselves higher ratings. Study 2 compared 63 team leaders' and 593 team members' ratings of leaders, finding different perceptions of competence. Results suggest the use of self-other ratings can be improved through feedback, joint training…

Following a fire and a costly PCB cleanup at a Connecticut high school, the administrative staff learned valuable lessons. Districts must have an emergency management plan, provide accurate information, pursue alliances with media and agencies, issue daily press releases, develop a phone chain, and share the spotlight. (MLH)

For decades, business schools have advocated product development processes that utilize trans-organizational, cross-function teams. Is it time for business schools to apply this model to our own product: MBA graduates? In this paper, we describe the trans-organizational, team-based approach that has transformed product development in many…

The NO VACANCY sign has been hanging out at the Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School (CMAVTS) for the past several years. A variety of reasons may have contributed to the building being at full capacity. A new administrative director, Steve Walk, was hired in 1999 to change the image of the school. Since his arrival, High Schools That…

In this special issue, readers were introduced to three powerful, evidence-based instructional practices that hold great promise for ameliorating many of the reading difficulties encountered by pupils in 21st century classrooms. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), and START tutoring have emerged from over…

Outcomes for methods to accelerate thinking skills involving some peer interaction have been more consistently positive than those for purely teacher-directed or materials-led methods. However, methods involving mainly or only peer interaction are rare. This paper describes and evaluates such a method for peer tutoring in thinking skills, which…