1.          Guest, M. [Email: michael@post1.miyazaki-med.ac.jp] (2002). Competition and cooperation in the classroom. The ETJ Journal (English Teachers in Japan), 3(2), 25-26.

* This opinion piece begins with a discussion of the pros and cons of the use of competition in EFL (English as Foreign Language) classrooms. The author’s view is that competition can at times play a useful role in motivating students. Six suggestions are given to overcome possible ill effects of competition: a) keep the focus on learning, rather than on winning or losing; b) do not use competition too often; c) monitor student reaction to competition to gauge whether there are ill effects; d) have rules and promote sportsmanship; e) foster success for less proficient students; and f) do not force students to compete if they do not want to do so.

2.         Gray, J. (2000, March). Group work: Using job duties in the classroom. The Language Teacher Online, 24(3) http://langue.hyper.chubu.ac.jp/jalt/pub/tlt/00/mar/sh_gray.html

* This brief article discusses the use of roles to improve the effectiveness of group activities among Japanese students studying English in Japan. Advantages of group activities are proposed. Five roles are described: leader, secretary, time keeper, brainstormer, and co-leader (optional). Rules are given for playing the roles, and a sample scenario is presented.

3.         Collier, C. [Catherine.collier@rochester.edu or catherine.collier@gte.net], & Morse, F. K. (2002). Requiring independent learners to collaborate: Redesign of an online course. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 1(1) http://www.ncolr.org/journal/current/collier/8.html

"Technology in the Language Arts Curriculum" is an elective course that falls midway through the eleven-course sequence for the Masters of Education in Technology in Education at Lesley University. When the course was prepared for online delivery it incorporated a major collaborative writing assignment that featured the use of networking and peer feedback in the writing process. Data collected during the first two sections of the course indicated serious problems with the collaborative writing assignment. The problems experienced by students and instructors were similar to those reported in the emerging literature about online teaching and learning. The course was redesigned to adjust for these problems. Data was collected for three additional sections, and the lessons learned will be useful to other online course designers and instructors. We point out faulty assumptions in the course design regarding student preparedness, and we recommend that, early in the course, instructors teach and test for mastery of technical and other skills normally assumed in graduate students. We emphasize the need for instructor-to-student and student-to-student trust prior to major collaborative assignments. We propose a thoughtful approach to options and accountability for collaborative assignments.

This paper reports a study focused on the redesign of an online course to achieve its major learning objectives with all participating students. The instructors collected data for five consecutive sections of the course and redesigned the course after the second section to adjust for problems. The improvements measured in the last three sections of the course (following redesign) indicated greater student and instructor satisfaction, as well as improved quality of student work. The lessons learned through the study and redesign process will be useful to other online course designers and instructors.

The paper calls into question the assumptions that underlay the course design; emphasizes the need for instructor-to-student and student-to-student trust prior to major collaborative assignments; and recommends that online instructors teach and test for mastery of technical and other skills normally assumed in graduate students. Finally, the paper introduces a thoughtful approach to accountability for online collaborative assignments that the instructors have found to work effectively, especially with those online students who are independent learners.
 

4.         Johnston, S., & Kotabe, T. (2002). A Japanese 3^rd-grade classroom: The individual within the group. Childhood Education, 78(6), 342-348.

[From the editor’s introduction]

The 3rd-grade teacher's goal, as described here, is to develop students' thinking skills, their ability to express ideas, and their commitment to development of heart and body. The students often work in hans--groups of 6 or 7--that take on responsibilities as a group; nevertheless, individualism is not suppressed. Balance remains the key.

[An excerpt from the article]

Often I say to my students, “You don’t have to be number one, just be one. Just be a student. You don’t have to be the best. [Say to yourself] ‘This is me and I can do this.’ ” I want them to show their ability in front of everyone. I say, “Everyone will know that this is your [strength], so then we can use your ability the next time we solve a problem. We can solve a problem. We can cooperate, and we can learn from each other and help each other.”

5.         Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2002). Cooperative learning methods: A meta-analysis. Journal of Research in Education, 12(1), 5-24.

Cooperative learning is one of the most widespread and fruitful areas of theory, research, and practice in education. Reviews of the research, however, have focused either on the entire literature which includes research conducted in noneducational settings or have included only a partial set of studies that may or may not validly represent the whole literature. There has never been a comprehensive review of the research on the effectiveness in increasing achievement of the methods of cooperative learning used in schools. An extensive search found 164 studies investigating eight cooperative learning methods. The studies yielded 194 independent effect sizes representing academic achievement. All eight cooperative learning methods had a significant positive impact on student achievement. When the impact of cooperative learning was compared with competitive and individualistic learning, Learning Together (LT), Group Investigation (GI), and Academic Controversy (AC) tended to promote the greatest effect on achievement followed by Student-Team-Achievement-Divisions (STAD), Teams-Assisted-Individualization (TAI), Jigsaw, Cooperative Integrated Reading and Compositions (CIRC), and finally Teams-Games-Tournaments (TGT). The consistency of the results and the diversity of the cooperative learning methods provide strong validations for its effectiveness.

6.         Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2002). Teaching students to be peacemakers: A meta-analysis. Journal of Research in Education, 12(1), 25-39

Concern about violence in schools has resulted in numerous conflict resolution and peer mediation programs being implemented on very little evidence that they are effective. The exception is the Teaching Students to be Peacemakers Program. Between 1988 and 2000 we conducted sixteen studies on the effectiveness of conflict resolution training in eight different schools in two different countries. Students involved were from kindergarten through ninth grades. The studies were conducted in rural, suburban, and urban settings. The findings indicate that students learn the conflict resolution procedures taught, retain their knowledge throughout the school year, apply the conflict resolution procedures to actual conflicts, transfer the procedures to nonclassroom and nonschool settings, use the procedures similarly in family and school settings, and, when given the option, engage in problem-solving rather than win-lose negotiations. The studies demonstrate that conflict resolution procedures can be taught in a way that increases academic achievement.

7.         Levine, A. <levina@mail.biu.ac.il>, Oded, B. <odedbr@mail.biu.ac.il>, Connor, U. <uconnor@iupui.edu>, Asons, I. <iasons@languagetrainingcenter.com>. (2002). Variation in EFL-ESL peer response. TESL-EJ, 6(3), A-1. http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/tesl-ej/ej23/a1.html

The present study attempts to answer the need for more focused research on peer response among EFL [English as a Foreign Language, i.e., studying English in a country where it is not the main language, e.g., China] students and the need to compare the findings with those of ESL [English as a Second Language, i.e., studying English in a country where it is the main language, e.g., New Zealand] students. The paper examines the nature of peer response in foreign language and second language writing of student populations in two different learning settings: Israel (EFL) and U.S. (ESL). Two research questions are addressed by the study: 1) Are there differences in peer responses because of the different learning environments in EFL and ESL? 2) Is there a difference in attitudes toward peer response between students in EFL and ESL learning environments? The following data collection instruments were used: a background questionnaire, pre-tests for language proficiency and writing skills, two peer response sheets, writers' statements, pre- and post-course questionnaires on attitudes to peer review, a classroom behavior profile, and teacher observation reports of students' behavior in the classroom during peer response. Both similarities and differences were found in the revision behavior of Israeli and U.S. students. There were notable differences in the quality and quantity of responses between the two groups as well as in the dynamics of the peer response sessions. Some variation was found between the two groups in the attitude towards peer response and to the authority of the teacher.

8.         Mendelsohn, D. [davidmen@yorku.ca] (2002). The learning buddy project: An experiment in EAP [English for Academic Purposes] listening comprehension. TESL Canada Journal, 20, 64-73.

This article describes a study of the listening comprehension of first-year, non-native speakers of English (NNSs) in a large North American university. The goal was to find out how the students, who were all economics majors, were coping with listening to economics lectures and to try an experiment in mentoring by linking them with a “lecture buddy”: a native speaker in their course who would meet with them weekly and help them with notetaking. ... The mentoring project was judged to be helpful to the informants, and the help that the lecture buddies gave was found to go far beyond working on notetaking.

9.         Cohen, E. G. [egcohen@stanford.edu], Lotan, R. [rlotan@stanford.edu], Scarloss, B. [scarloss@stanford.edu], Schultz, S. E. [ses@stanford.edu], & Abram, P. [pabram@stanford.edu] (2002). Can groups learn? Teachers College Record, 104, 1045-1068.

This is a study of assessment of the work of creative problem-solving groups in sixth-grade social studies. We test the proposition that providing students with specific guidelines as to what makes an exemplary group product (evaluation criteria) will improve the character of the discussion as well as the quality of the group product. To assess the group’s potential for successful instruction, we examine the character of the group conversation as well as the quality of the group product. We present a statistical model of the process of instruction that connects the use of evaluation criteria, group discussion, creation of the group product, and average performance on the final written assessment.

10.        Pisters, B., Bakx, A. W. E. A., & Lodewijks, H. (2002). Multimedia assessment of social communicative competence. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning, 6(1). http://www.ucalgary.ca/~iejll/ 

For many professionals, mastery of adequate and effective interpersonal communication skills is of vital importance nowadays. Thus, assessing and improving the communication competence of students are issues of interest in training situations. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of diagnostic multimedia assessment of communication competence of first-year radiological technology students. For this purpose, a series of ten multimedia tests was developed and put on the Internet, enabling flexible use. Each test contained a video conversation, where fragments were alternated with questions.

We supposed that individually working at one’s own pace behind a computer screen, being able to see a videotaped real-life setting, as well as getting immediate elaborate feedback after answering questions would be appreciated by students who grew up in a multimedia world.

First, we examined how students value working with multimedia communication tests. As was expected, we found that students showed a great deal of enthusiasm with respect to the multimedia test, reporting that they liked to make use of the test. Next, we wanted to know if participation in the multimedia test would improve the results on their final regular end of the school year exam on communication competence. Therefore, we offered part of the student population the opportunity to participate in the multimedia test. The control group did not get this opportunity. We compared the results on the regular school exam of both groups and noticed that there was a slight difference. Although no strong significant effects were found, we believe that the regular use of multimedia tests can improve the students’ communication competence in a way that is attractive for both students and their coaches.
 

11.        Willson, K., & Wolodko, B. (2000). Exploring the use of peer tutors in introducing software to young children. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning, 4(1). http://www.ucalgary.ca/~iejll/

Two primary school children, acting as peer tutors were videotaped introducing the game, The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis, to classmates. This popular problem solving mathematical software immerses children in dynamic learning environments. The peer tutors were effective. Unlike traditional peer tutoring situations, the power of the computer to change the variables modified the role of the tutors. They became actively engaged in problem solving. We recommend peer tutoring as it benefits children, peer tutors and teachers. Management issues surrounding the use of computers in classrooms may also be reduced by allowing the teacher to become more of a facilitator.

12.        Glaser, J. P. (2001). Walking the talk: Collaborating and thriving in an adversarial culture. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning, 5(2). http://www.ucalgary.ca/~iejll

Years of cultural conditioning have trained us to respond to conflict from a "closed" perspective in which we are either competitive or self-protective against the possibility that others will exploit us. This habit can be problematical for transformational leaders who recognize that it is easier to get their own needs met when someone is not actively opposing their efforts.

It is possible to nurture habits of collaboration in a traditionally adversarial world by finding ways for the system and its key actors to foster an "open flow of information" that encourages more productive responses to conflict and a reframing of customary organizational interactions and functions. There are specific habits and behaviors that can be mindfully cultivated by organizational leaders in order to ensure that they are maximizing their ability to collaborate without worsening the risks of exploitation by those who are more inclined to compete. 

13.        Sonnenfeld, J. A. [jeffrey.sonnenfeld@yale.edu] (2002). What makes great boards great. Harvard Business Review, 80(9), 106-113.

What makes great boards great: It’s not rules and regulations. It’s the way people work together.

In the wake of meltdowns at WorldCom, Tyco, and Enron, enormous attention has been focused on the companies' boards. It seems inconceivable that business disasters of such magnitude could happen without gross or even criminal negligence on the part of board members. And, yet, a close examination of those boards reveals no broad pattern of incompetence or corruption. In fact, they followed most of the accepted standards for board operations: Members showed up for meetings; they had money invested in the company; audit committees, compensation committees, and codes of ethics were in place; and the boards weren't too small or too big, nor were they dominated by insiders. Corporate governance expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld suggests that it's time for some new thinking about how corporate boards operate and are evaluated. He proposes thinking not only about how to structure the board's work but also about how to manage it as a social system. Good boards are, very simply, high-functioning work groups. They're distinguished by a climate of respect, trust, and candor among board members and between the board and management. Information is shared openly and on time; emergent political factions are quickly eliminated. Members feel free to challenge one another's assumptions and conclusions, and management encourages lively discussion of strategic issues. Directors feel a responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the board's performance. In addition, good boards assess their own performance, both collectively and individually.

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