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Letter from the Co-president December 2005 Dear Colleagues: This issue of the IASCE Newsletter is our final issue for 2005. In the first article, we learn about the educational system in Cyprus and the Cyprus Association for Cooperative Learning. This article, part of our Forum series on CL around the world, is written by the Association’s president, Neophytos Charalambous. It was my honor to participate in the November 2005 conference of the Cyprus Association and a great pleasure to experience the warmth and commitment of this organization. It was truly exciting to hear the Minister of Education talk enthusiastically about cooperative learning in his welcoming address and it was wonderful to see such a large group gathered on a Saturday morning. Thank you Neophytos for writing this article, and a big thank you to IASCE Board Member Yael Sharan for her continued work on the Forum series. We are pleased that Barbara Millis has contributed two articles to this issue of our Newsletter. Following in, and expanding on, the cooperative games work of Terry Orlick, Sally Olsen, Matt Weinstein, and others, Barbara reminds us about the importance of cooperative games for learning and motivation. What is especially interesting about Barbara’s work is that her reference point is higher education and, from Barbara’s point of view, even in higher education, learning can be energetic, motivating, and fun. Those of you who joined us in Manchester and Singapore may remember Corda Ladd Kinzie and Board Member Kathryn Markovchick. When I think of learning being fun, I always think of their work. We are fortunate that they have provided us with a short summary of the many theories and perspectives that they bring together in Celebratory Learning. Once again, our Newsletter brings together an interesting collection of abstracts, reviews, lists, web-based resources and short articles. From the Journals contains so many interesting abstracts that it is hard for me to choose just one or two on which to comment. What I find most fascinating is the breadth of the publications, content, and populations represented. The power and dynamics of cooperation is an important topic in populations ranging from six-year-old children with disabilities, to university students studying calculus and highly successful creative teams in technology and the arts. As we reflect on 2005 and think about the year ahead, we want to thank you for your support of the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education. Please share our work with your colleagues and check the IASCE website for updates, information about conferences, and links to valuable resources and contacts around the world. It is your support that makes this work possible. Cooperatively yours, Lynda
Lynda Baloche
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