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Letter from the Co-president November 2006 Dear Colleagues, IASCE is pleased to bring you the third and final newsletter for 2006. When I read an IASCE newsletter, I am often struck by the synergy of the pieces included. This newsletter is no exception. I found the discussion amongst Yael Sharan, Peter Gobel, and T.H. Sim to be truly stimulating as they considered how teachers learn to use cooperative learning and why they tend to make the decisions they do. When Yael and Peter mentioned the need for active reflection, I was excited to be able to refer to the extensive review of Dick Schmuck’s recent volume about action research. And Celeste Brody, in her review of four books about pedagogy in higher education, examines issues similar to those raised by Sharan, Gobel, and Sim. When teachers—no matter where they stand in their professional careers and no matter the age of the students with whom they work— begin to implement new ways of teaching and new ways of thinking about learning and professional practice, they need to start simple, they need to implement gradually, and they need to believe that they model professional competence. In this issue of our newsletter we have reports on three conferences. We are delighted that board member Yael Sharan attended conferences in both Bardolino, Italy and Vilnius, Lithuania. The conference in Lithuania marked the culmination of a three-year project that was both broad and ambitious in its scope. Those interested in systematic planning and implementation of educational change may find the Lithuanian story both fascinating and relevant; we hope interested readers will contact Yael or Egle Pranckuniene for further details. Yael’s description of the conference in Italy reminds us that the study and implementation of cooperative learning is ongoing and important. Notice that, once again, we hear about the need for gradual skill development. My heart was warmed by the metaphor of the cooperative learning classroom as a symphony and by the call for the transposition of enthusiasm into meaningful and deep implementation. The third conference highlighted in our newsletter took place in Nagoya, Japan under the auspices of the JASCE (Japanese Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education). The conference theme “Cooperation as a Process and Its Own Goal,” says so much and the description of the events suggests that the planning committee thought quite carefully about content, collaborative processes, and community building. And now, to our announcements! We are delighted to announce a co-sponsored conference in Torino, Italy. The International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE), the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL), and the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education (IASCE) have agreed to co-sponsor a conference in January, 2008. The conference theme is: Cooperative Learning in Multicultural Societies: A Critical Reflection. The dates are January 19-22, 2008. Watch our website and future newsletters for details and a Call for Proposals. We are also delighted to announce that we anticipate celebrating the 30th birthday of IASCE in Japan with the JASCE. Discussions are underway with JASCE and we expect to announce dates and themes soon. We are excited about both of these projects and especially thrilled that our collaborations with these organizations will allow us to hear many voices and meet many educators who share an understanding of the value of cooperation in education. Please remember that our conferences, newsletters, and website are supported by your membership dues. Please accept our heartfelt thanks and remember to share your newsletter with colleagues and check the website at www.iasce.net for conference details. Cooperatively yours, Lynda
Lynda Baloche
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