To avoid bad decisions, principals must be willing to invest time, energy, and resources and prepare the problem-solving team for the frustrations involved in tackling tough problems. Simple probing techniques such as "creating (or intensifying) the problem,""the Five Whys""I wish" statements, the nominal Group Technique, and multivoting can aid…

Two approaches to work organization in the auto industry were compared: (1) the German model of apprenticeship and skilled production workers; and (2) the Japanese model of continuous on-the-job training and flexibility. The Japanese model may be better for British companies given the current labor market situation. (SK)

Describes how a videodisc of Alfred Hitchcock's film "North by Northwest" was repurposed by adding digitized and computer-generated sound, text, and graphics, to show users the capabilities of interactive multimedia. Recommendations are offered both for working in a design team and for the design of interactive materials. (LRW)

Describes an Illinois consolidated high school district's staff development program to offer teachers a variety of professional growth opportunities. Peer coaching, an important program component, succeeds only in an atmosphere of trust and respect. Other key factors are appropriate training for all participants and development of preconference,…

IQ scores and disability labels can sentence certain children to lifelong failure. MAPS (Making Action Plans) is a collaborative process that brings the key actors in a child's life together to create an action plan to be implemented in a regular classroom setting. This article describes MAP's eight-step planning process. Sidebars describe MAP's…

Team tennis programs offer campers an equal chance to share the responsibilities and excitement of team competition, fostering feelings of self-esteem that can lead to remarkable changes in behavior. Recommendations cover organization of a team tennis program, conducting matches, and program adaptations for special circumstances. (LP)

A group of 33 municipal government managers received training in teamwork and feedback skills. Compared to 32 controls, the treatment group perceived their teams as more effective. Increased use of feedback skills caused managers to view themselves and their work groups as more proactive, engaged, and cohesive. (SK)

Imagines the possibilities if middle school teachers worked together cooperatively for educational change. Provides data from one such collaborative effort experienced by two middle school teachers. Claims that such collaboration can be an exciting and challenging addition to many teachers' professional lives. (HB)

This article discusses ways that early intervention team members can improve their communication, qualities of effective teams, roles that members assume on teams, a step-by-step process for creating a transdisciplinary team, verbal and nonverbal skills necessary for successful communicative interaction, and behaviors that serve as barriers to…

Describes the use of paired experienced classroom teachers to form mentoring teams that teach one class, observe other master teachers, attend conferences, and prepare curriculum units, working out flexible schedules for teaching the class. Schools benefit from having two mentors without removing expert teachers from direct contact with students.…

Human resource development practice extends beyond training to the broader and more visionary role of facilitating learning for individuals, teams, and organizations. Designers of learning organizations seek to increase overall learning capacity, create ongoing adaptive capacity, and build autonomy and empowerment. (SK)

Presents three exercises that deal with issues in communication: (1) icebreaking techniques for seminar groups, including individual, pair, and small group formats; (2) a workshop that stresses cooperative groupwork, including competitive teams; and (3) a workshop that encourages assertiveness in learning situations and discusses submissiveness,…

Focuses on gendered modes of collaboration in a chemical engineering design course. Identifies three modes of collaboration (dialogic, asymmetrical, and hierarchical) and suggests that the first two are liberating, whereas the third is oppressive. Illustrates these modes by describing the collaborative interaction of two groups of students. (SR)

Student suicide is a most painful and potentially disruptive event. All schools need a crisis plan that will shore up students and faculty, provide timely intervention, intervene with parents, establish communication guidelines, involve the community, and get the school back on course. A sidebar discusses suicide prevention programs' effects on…

Describes the Team Instructional Prescriptions (TIP) theory, which was developed to synthesize team training research into an integrated theory that defines instructional outcomes and conditions and prescribes instructional methods. Literature concerning team training is reviewed, and three models are explained that incorporate team development…