In recent years, interest in teamwork in the workplace has increased noticeably. For technical educators, the implications of this emphasis on employee involvement and cooperation are clear: they should begin developing the requisite skills in their students before they enter the work force. The skill sets that are needed--in effective…

A qualitative study examined what happens to the learning environment when a heterogeneous group of male adults uses technology and collaborative strategies to improve their writing skills. During the 14-week study, the teacher modeled the use of technology when introducing units in a writing course and used the abilities and strengths of the…

This book is aimed at managers, chief executives, personnel directors, and all those who want to know what action learning can do for their organizations. Part 1 (Chapters 1-3) provides a general introduction to action learning. It describes the underlying theory and principles of action learning and the benefits that organizations can expect to…

This document is the instructor's edition of a learning module that is designed to be presented as an 8-hour workshop to help workers master the skills needed for effective writing in the workplace. It was developed by educators from the Emily Griffith Opportunity School. The workshop materials are designed to enable participants to do the…

This guide was developed to accompany a 43-minute video that introduces early intervention personnel to the transdisciplinary (TD) assessment process. The transdisciplinary team consists of the family and professionals from various disciplines, working together to share information and skills across disciplinary boundaries in assessment, program…

This report examines the usefulness of leadership teams in higher education based on study results involving 15 institutions of higher education located throughout the United States. In chapters 1 and 2 the concept of the "leadership team" is introduced by means of: (1) a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork; and (2) a…

Students in an advertising research course at a large southern university were assigned to teams for a semester project and developed an instrument to evaluate their peers in the group. Students identified approximately 30 characteristics of working as a member of a team and later honed down the list to 14 individual characteristics. An overall…

Through scenarios describing the actions of a district restructuring committee, this book shows how the "interlocking spheres of the organization" cooperate, with roles and functions blending in leadership teams and study groups. The book provides a research-based, practical guide for renewal that keeps one goal central: improving student…

Most current major educational reforms call for extensive, meaningful teacher collaboration. Teachers who have worked together see substantial improvements in student achievement, behavior, and attitude. For teachers, collegiality breaks the isolation of the classroom and brings career rewards and daily satisfactions. Schools benefit for a number…

This Digest discusses approaches to group learning in the language classroom, presenting some principles that are common to any group learning approach, whether it be cooperative learning, student team learning, group investigation, or collaborative learning. The Digest also discusses the Collaborative Learning Model (Reid et al., 1989) which…

A study of professional development intervention programs in which schools choose their own issues and action plans is presented in this report. "Intervention" refers to university introduction of new professional development models into the school. A 3-year program involving five schools in collaboration with university staff members and…

This paper presents an instructional strategy found to be effective in meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional (CLDE) students. The strategy, called "Committees," involves dividing the class into small groups and assigning each group a different activity revolving around a selected theme or concept. Students rotate…

This volume, one of a series of curriculum guides compiled by the Colorado Workplace Learning Initiative: 1991-92, contains seven workplace literacy courses on enhanced basic skills involving decisions, teams, problem solving, and critical thinking. Introductory materials include a table of contents and a list of the curriculum topics covered by…

The Strategic Staff Development Plan was implemented at Lansing Community College (LCC), in Michigan. This document describes the goals, implementation activities, and components of staff development at the college. An introduction indicates that the Plan represents over 300 hours of proposed training for LCC faculty, staff, and administrators and…

Many of the theories about communicating effectively in corporate structures as well as the accompanying pedagogy do not pertain to changes in corporate structure and communication brought about by Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM creates a work environment in which employees need problem-solving skills and interpersonal skills that allow them…