by focusing more carefully on their true opinions rather than worrying about how to proceed. Unfortunately, training teachers has not been quite as successful. Despite numerous presentations, lectures, and articles written on the use of CL in Japan (including extensive teaching notes for the materials we developed), many teachers are of the opinion that their students "just can't do it." These teachers, undoubtedly considering their students' lack of oral proficiency, tend to use less challenging materials and miss out on the benefits of groupwork and CL. It is unfortunate that teachers' lowered expectations, and students' consequent lack of motivation due to less challenging materials, result in less language learning. If teachers could somehow be made to realize the benefits of organized groupwork and cooperative learning, the situation in Japan would improve tremendously.

Chris Poel is an associate professor of English at Musashi Institute of Technology in Yokohama, Japan. He has written articles and made presentations on cooperative learning in several countries in Asia and North America. The materials described in this article were recently published as D.E.S.I.R.E. (Developing Expertise in Social, Intercultural and Recreational English) by Macmillan Languagehouse, Tokyo. Questions or comments can be sent to him at cjpoel@zb3.so-net.ne.jp

Brief Cases
George Jacobs suggested this column as an opportunity to mention recent books that contain ideas that resonate with CL'ers' concerns, even if they don't deal directly with cooperative learning. The first book is by Angela O' Donnell. To quote Celeste Brody, the book "speaks to the quandary of those who research CL, and those who are now working with research-based implementation in school settings."

O'Donnell, A. M. & King, A. (Eds.) (1999). Cognitive Perspectives on Peer Learning, Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

The three parts of the book focus on: a) cognitive developmental theories underpinning many approaches to peer learning; (b) particular instantiations of cognitive approaches to peer learning; and (c) implications of cognitive perspectives on peer learning for teachers, teaching, and teacher education. The first part of the book (chapters 1 and 2) includes two chapters that present the implications of the work of two major theorists in cognitive development. In chapter one, De Lisi and Golbeck discuss the implications of Piaget's theory of cognitive development for peer learning. They provide a framework within which the possibilities and limitations of peer interactions for children's cognitive development and school-based learning can be considered. Hogan and Tudge (chapter two) describe the implications of Vygotsky's theory for understanding the potential of peer learning. They provide an overview of Vygotsky's theory and discuss three aspects of development, noting that developmentalists often focus on a narrow interpretation of Vygotsky's work. They discuss several principles of the theory that are particularly salient for peer learning including the concept of intersubjectivity and how it is achieved.