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Teacher collaboration through networking needs to be promoted due to its positive effects on the world of teaching. Teaching collaboration in virtual environments affects the professional learning of teachers in their initial and in-service training, being potentially beneficial for instructional processes. The purpose of this paper is to know ways to promote teacher collaboration through the establishment of professional networks within and between schools, involving both teachers and students themselves at all educational stages. The method used in this paper is the Systematic Review, according to the PRISMA guidelines. The research was made in Scopus and WOS databases. The systematic review gave as a result of 16 articles on how teachers professionalize their positions through the establishment of intra- and inter-institutional collaboration networks. It has been observed that Web 2.0 and ICT offer new paths to achieve effective teacher collaboration relationships. It also sets out the main challenges to be faced by teachers and institutions themselves to effectively strengthen networks for school improvement. As a conclusion, the establishment of a collaborative networking culture requires the setting-up of virtual environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introductory undergraduate statistics courses widely focus on statistical concepts or software-based data analysis. Despite the fact that the analysis of real data has shown to enhance students' engagement, the step of data collection is often neglected. Once students know the challenges of data collection, they are more aware of potential imperfections, such as a lack of representativeness, during data analysis. In this paper, we present a course that closes the gap allowing Business and Economics students to conduct a full survey under realistic conditions including questionnaire design, sampling, and data analysis. It entangles theory and application by combining course-based research experiences with cooperative learning and a flipped classroom approach. Students do not only obtain competences in the field of statistics, they also gain experiences and self-confidence for future research projects because the lecturer acts as a mentor guiding the students throughout the project. Although statistics is usually an unpopular field for Business and Economics students, their motivation was high throughout the semester as they acted as researchers who analysed a specific research question. This is in agreement with student feedback, which highlights the promotion of research-related competences and self-efficacy within the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most courses are taught almost exclusively using lecture and, despite gaps in textbook coverage of empirical economics, do not incorporate academic readings. The authors of this article present a "jigsaw literature review" cooperative learning activity to address these shortfalls. The jigsaw guides students through formulating a position by synthesizing key ideas from readings with diverse perspectives on a common topic. The authors provide detailed guidance on conducting the activity in upper-level economics courses, based on their experiences while teaching labor economics, public economics, urban economics, health economics, and econometrics. They argue that their activity provides a meaningful way to integrate recent research, policy topics, and diversity issues while promoting student-student interactions. Sample course materials and additional resources are provided for ease of implementation. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00220485.2021.1963373 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to collaborate is a central competence that students need to be taught in school, in order to prepare them for the social and work realities that they will face in the 21st century. Research shows that students often study in educational settings that do not promote collaboration with peers. Based on a renewed focus on the ability to collaborate as an educational outcome in itself, this paper explores how teachers think about and use student collaboration in the classroom. This study, conducted in Norway, aimed to better understand teachers' pedagogical reasons for using collaboration. Such insight can offer valuable knowledge about how collaboration is understood and might influence classroom practice. A small scale, detailed qualitative study was undertaken. The participants comprised a teacher team of four lower secondary school teachers, and data were collected through individual, semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed in depth, using content analysis methods. Five main themes were identified that illuminated the teachers' conceptions of collaboration: (1) collaborative activities as a valued ingredient in teaching, (2) collaboration as organising, (3) collaboration as a tool, (4) collaboration as demanding and (5) collaboration skills 'taken for granted'. The findings indicated that collaboration was regarded as a valued ingredient in teaching practice, despite sometimes being challenging to use. Further, it appeared that that the dual potential that lies in using collaborative activities – i.e. as a way to work with, and develop, the ability to collaborate – can be overshadowed by an academic focus. Interestingly, learning how to collaborate was rarely regarded as being an educational outcome in itself. This paper highlights the need to accentuate the social pedagogy of collaborative activities, in order to prepare students for the social and work realities that lie before them. Opportunities for teachers to develop their understanding of student collaboration and learn about how best to structure teaching and learning to capture the dual potential that lies within should be embedded in teacher education and on-going professional learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The professionalism of teachers through collaboration has become increasingly important in the last years. This paper describes the process of designing and validating a questionnaire for the analysis of future Primary and Pre-school teachers' collaboration patterns. The psychometric properties of the scale were obtained from the analysis of the validity of content (expert judgement and pilot test to 293 students of Primary Education and Pre-school Education at a Spanish university and from construct (factor analysis) and reliability (Cronbach Alpha), obtaining appropiate results (KMO = 0.89; CFI = 0.91; GFI = 0.95; AGFI = 0.96; SMSR = 0.05). Four factors were identified in the questionnaire on collaboration and shared professional learning: Assertiveness and personal willingness to work together, Group Cohesion, Leadership Capacity and Group Awareness. The results obtained are consistent with empirical studies carried out on the teachers' willingness towards collaboration, ongoing training and teacher professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent innovation adapted from the world of commercial computer hacking is known as a Hackathon event. Hackathons are characterized by problem-solving in small groups, under time pressure, to develop creative solutions to a challenging problem. This paper presents the evaluation of a Hackathon applied in two courses on trauma-informed practice (one BSW and the other at MSW level). Students (N = 57) developed interventions to address group and community trauma presented in case studies. Social work doctoral students served as judges (N = 5), evaluated the presentations and selected the winning team. The evaluation showed that the students and judges felt that the Hackathon promoted learning, creativity, teamwork and the incorporation of concepts learned in the course. The competitiveness and being judged were viewed as negative aspects by the students and the judges concurred that the competition detracted from the educational experience. More research is needed on how to apply the Hackathon model to other types of social work curricula including the teaching of various research methods. The current COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the social work profession to address its myriad social implications. How to adapt social work practice toward the incorporation of e-therapy and e-consultation might benefit from Hackathon brainstorming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a cross-disciplinary collaborative project where students can engage in a cross-disciplinary collaborative learning environment in which students jointly develop a semester-long project designed to bridge the design, merchandising, and retailing processes. The cooperative learning model was employed for the development and implementation of the project. After completing the project, we evaluated the student learning experiences against the Student Learning Outcomes through qualitative (i.e. reflection papers) and quantitative analysis (i.e. pre and post surveys). Findings suggest that, through the Cotton Capsule Wardrobe project, students from both programs gained insights and knowledge of professional practices within the fashion industry. Despite the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had in interrupting the later segments of the project, this research still provides valuable insight to the literature by demonstrating the application of the cooperative learning modules in cross-disciplinary environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key challenges for educators is how to ensure inclusion of all learners in diverse classrooms. One effective way of providing an inclusive environment is by using Cooperative learning. When teachers use Cooperative learning a democracy stance (Vinterek 2010) emerges (Ferguson-Patrick 2014). Such classrooms use inclusive pedagogies that increase participation and decrease exclusion (Florian and Black-Hawkins 2011). This paper will present an analysis of findings from two case studies of schools using Cooperative learning to review the factors that demonstrate this democracy stance in action and show how they create caring communities and a sense of enjoyment through working cooperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative design is recognised as being shaped by complex social, cognitive, material, and technical processes. In the case of design decision-making, however, the social dimension has yet to be fully understood as the product of the whole team dynamic rather than as simply the sum of the individual (cognitive) contributions. This paper examines the interactional work teams of first-time design students do that produces decisions in undergraduate engineering design projects. Close analysis of decision-making episodes, recorded in design meetings in a yearlong ethnographic study, reveals the joint social and situated work teams do to produce decisions. Students were found to do decision-making via three overlapping phases that were invariant across the database: (i) Design options emerge, (ii) teams orient to design options, and (iii) design decisions come off. This paper exemplifies these phases of decision-making as inherently – and not just incidentally – social, and illustrates how decisions are produced in novice design teams via these phases in multifarious ways. We argue for an explicit retrospective focus on the processes and consequences of team decisions following projects as an avenue for fostering the development of design judgment that engineering graduates will take into their professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Face, understood as public image, exerts critical influence on interpersonal communication. Incorporating insight from cultural neuroscience, a number of potential mismatches with regard to facework are revealed when methodologies originated from the West are applied in a different context. This paper examines culturally appropriate face strategies in cooperative learning among Vietnamese learners. Our results show that discussion outcomes increase when self-face and other-face are confirmed and group-face is mildly confronted in form of intergroup competition. The paper indicates that educational methods underpinned by fundamental psychological assumptions based on Western values should be adjusted to be culturally appropriate for contexts in which it is applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The close linkage between different institutions is widely recognized as a method of improving teacher education. This paper introduces an attempt to link university teacher training programmes with further teacher education thereby showing the benefits of the approach and factors influencing its success. To enable teachers and student teachers to participate, a blended learning course programme was designed. The findings presented in this article are based on a course evaluation comprising data from 19 teachers and 88 student teachers. The findings indicate that teachers and student teachers benefit in many ways through cooperative learning. For example, both groups appreciated having multiple perspectives and the opportunity to exchange their experiences and opinions. Communication and interaction between teachers and student teachers is significant to make cooperative learning successful. Adequate communication and interaction, satisfying for both participant groups, are crucial for the success of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research continues to highlight how gender is reproduced through pedagogical practice in Physical Education (PE), but there has been much less focus on how it might be challenged. This paper reports on an intervention that used cooperative learning and critical reflection to challenge gender relations in PE, using football, in a school in Valencia, Spain. The intervention was specifically constructed as a form of critical pedagogy to create an inclusive learning environment, a safe space talk about sexism, and help students question and move beyond traditional notions of gendered embodiment. The paper responds to the call for research on the use of models based pedagogy for challenging sexism in PE. Through a critical ethnography, research findings showed how the explicit inclusion of critical pretexts engaging students in reflecting on gender was important to the success of the intervention, particularly the provision of a space for girls to reflect on their experiences of football and sexism in PE, and for boys to listen and hear this. The change to cooperative learning led to a shift in the class climate between students, with most of the girls reporting feeling more valued and included. The improved class climate resulted in better engagement in the classes from students. While some of the boys exhibited more positive attitudes towards girls and their football abilities, some of the more able boys were critical of the approach for its relative lack of engagement with the development of football, beyond skills and techniques. These findings point to both the possibilities and ongoing work necessary to challenge gender relations through a critical pedagogy in PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the current paper is to examine how group learning and cooperative learning are used in civil engineering courses. The paper defines group learning and cooperative learning in the first section. It is hypothesized that group learning is used in civil engineering courses to build teamwork skills and communication skills among civil engineers but that its effectiveness is not maximized owing to a lack of awareness of how it can be structured. The paper suggests that using cooperative learning is more effective. The paper describes a study of the attitudes and perceptions of lecturers in civil engineering departments in several universities. The paper finds that many lecturers use group learning in order to teach civil engineers 'soft skills' but are uncomfortable with the assessment of such work. There is a lack of awareness regarding how group work can be structured and regarding research into the use of cooperative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a paradigm shift from the traditionally systematic, rigid structures of thesis writing courses to favor an inclusive, fluid, and flexible approach that both centers on student needs and meets the professional demands of future graduates. An intentional move to amend the thesis writing course would (1) create the conditions for students to have a greater stake in their own writing, (2) establish a sense of a cohort and scholarly community, and (3) integrate students into the professor's scholarly habits of writing. This comprehensive education approach is intended for application in upper-level undergraduate thesis courses. By increasing the student's share in the writing and research process as collaborators, instructors can model the behaviors of scholarship and intellectual community, position ourselves as mentors, and substantially increase our own academic productivity. To elaborate upon this approach, I reflect upon my experience as a preceptor in a Senior Seminar Bachelor's thesis course to provide a loose outline for fellow capstone thesis writing instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a programme designed to deepen knowledge regarding diversity and to sustain equality and equity in participation during class activities in high sociolinguistic diversity classrooms. We investigated a four-stage programme integrating all students' heritage languages in cooperative school activities in one 4th grade class in the French-speaking canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Activities that the teacher engaged in included: a) activities devoted to openness to others, b) activities devoted to linguistic diversity, c) activities devoted to cultural diversity, d) cooperative activities, relying on heritage languages and personal family stories. The three first stages aimed to help students feel accepted and comfortable when participating in multilingual cooperative activities. Feedback from the teacher, students and parents indicated that this programme found its place in the regular curriculum and participants appreciated it. This programme also improved students' sense of belonging to the class and a feeling of relatedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In recent years, scholar-activists have used hashtag syllabus movements to organize and share curricular resources related to pressing social and cultural issues in a widely accessible format. These collaboratively designed readings lists have provided many classroom-based educators with diverse and far-reaching texts with which to engage students on issues of social injustice and structural inequality. In this paper, we argue that having students develop hashtag syllabi in the context of interdisciplinary social science courses not only provides access to a breadth and depth of content knowledge and a range of perspectives on these topics but creates the conditions in which students can develop and strengthen critical information literacy skills. Using example assignments from introductory and upper-level undergraduate courses, we demonstrate the potential of these assignments to promote deep learning, challenge hegemonic knowledge production, address the personal and affective components of research, and connect our students’ work in the classroom to problems that exist outside of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research attempts to examine the role of 3D printer as a learning tool in inclusive education. It examines the quality of verbal and nonverbal interactions between students with disabilities (SWD) and students without disabilities (SWOD) in an inclusive classroom at primary schools, where 3D printers were used as a learning tool. The results presented in this paper are based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of interactions between 7 SWD and 31 SWOD. Even though both occurred, there was no statistical difference in generation of positive and negative verbal and nonverbal interactions between SWD and SWOD. Both, SWD and SWOD are of the opinion that cooperative learning with implementation of 3D printers contributes to their communication with peers, achieving better and durable knowledge in the subject where this learning approach was applied and they would like to learn in this way in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While e-support has been positioned as a means, to overcome some of the time and financial constraints to professional learning, it has largely failed to act as a medium for professional learning in physical education. Consequently, this paper positions teachers prior interest with social media acts as a type of ‘leverage’ for using sites such as Facebook and Twitter for professional learning purposes. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore how social media operates as a communicative space, external to the physical site of an emerging community of practice (CoP) that supported teachers' professional learning and their subsequent longer term changing practice. This study is nested within a wider longitudinal project that explores how teachers learnt and refined their use of a pedagogical innovation (Cooperative Learning) through the overarching methodology, participatory action research. Social media emerged as a form of communication that was not in the study's original design. The paper explores 2125 interactions, through Facebook and Twitter, between five physical education teachers and a facilitator over a two-year period. Through social media, the facilitator re-enforced teachers changing practice, aided the development of the practices of an emerging CoP, and by the CoP situating their use of the innovation in the virtual world, teachers were supported in changing their practice over time, and the use of the pedagogical innovation was sustained. Interactions promoted teacher inquiry, challenged teachers to develop their existing use of the innovation further and encouraged them to work together and develop shared practices. Therefore, social media is presented here as a ‘new’ method for professional learning that supports pedagogical change and overcomes some of the financial and time implications of facilitators and teachers working together. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cooperative learning (CL) has a strong research base, but it is underutilised. This can be explained by teachers’ reluctance to experiment with pedagogies in an environment increasingly focused on high-stakes testing. Early career teachers (ECTs) need support to be innovative practitioners, particularly with such a complex one as CL. The teacher’s role is crucial in order to scaffold the students’ participation in the primary classroom in order to improve their learning and it is teachers’ pedagogical practices that help to develop these collaborative work habits. This paper explores ECTs responses relating to their role in CL instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Either action research by teachers uses the approach as a methodology to examine pedagogical change in a single intervention or it is used as means of understanding a journey of change. In contrast, this paper examines the significant impact of using action research in a second cycle of learning in the same context and with the same participants. Employing a number of data-gathering tools (reflective journals, unit diaries, post-cycle reflective analyses, student interviews and observations) this paper examines the residual and emergent effects of cooperative learning on the participants in a second, sequential unit of track and field athletics taught a year after the first intervention. It suggests that learning was both academic and social, and that participants felt the unit built on their prior learning about track and field because it was progressive, motivational and student-centred. The paper concludes by suggesting that, in seeking to understand a teacher’s pedagogical and curricular change process, we need to intersperse research that focuses on the journey toward change with research that explores the individual processes of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under pressure of the continuing need to modernize, Vietnam is rapidly reforming its education system. Cooperative Learning (CL) with a Western-based model is being enthusiastically applied. This paper suggests that an authentic form of CL has long existed in the foundations of Vietnamese education. The reasons why Western-based CL is encouraged can be attributed to false universalism (the belief that a practice that originated from elsewhere can be “cloned” with similar results) and neo-colonialism (the perpetuation of a colonial mindset under the pressure of financial loans). While an adjusted form of CL has been suggested by previous studies to make CL culturally appropriate, this paper argues that a true hybrid form of CL which takes into account the authentic CL will have more potential to make this method not only culturally but institutionally appropriate. The paper indicates a strong need to identify and incorporate indigenous practice in the process of educational reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bougainville is a post-conflict society where armed violence ceased in 2001. For Bougainville to sustain a peaceful future, its development must be based upon politically, economically, socially and ecologically just practices. A peace education curriculum is one way through which this goal could be achieved. Consequently this paper describes how local education stakeholders were involved in a dialogic process of curriculum development with peace academics from Australia. This collaborative process was facilitated by the adoption of active, cooperative learning strategies to develop a locally relevant peace curriculum, which could be integrated into the school curriculum and used by civil society organisations. This paper reports on the first and second phases (in more detail) of a three-phase project where a workshop of community stakeholders produced themes that they viewed as important for peace in Bougainville. The first phase of the project considered the 'what' and 'why' aspects of a peace education curriculum and these themes were developed and prioritised by community stakeholders, thus facilitating the identification of relevant content, skills and values for the peace education project. Phase 2 progressed on to examine 'how' to approach the teaching of peace, which entailed an exploration of cooperative learning structures and processes used to enhance discussion and collaborative decision-making among participants. Process, an equally important facet of curriculum development, has been addressed explicitly. Ultimately, it is argued that a locally generated peace curriculum will prove more sustainable as educators and community members will have ownership of it due to their active participation in its design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although very little research has been done on cooperative learning (CL) in New Zealand, international research is positive about the educational benefits of working in culturally diverse groups. This paper presents the findings of a research project examining New Zealand experiences with CL in multicultural groups. Data were collected via surveys and focus groups with domestic and international students and with New Zealand tertiary lecturers who use CL techniques in their programmes. The findings indicate a strong cultural conflict in the conceptualization of CL between international students with little prior experience of CL and New Zealand lecturers who are often not trained to help international students to bridge the gaps between their past educational experiences and typical education practices in New Zealand. This conflict reinforces the importance of understanding cultural differences and their impact on student patterns of classroom behaviour. The authors recommend that domestic and international students be prepared more effectively for CL and that lecturers be trained in designing curricula and assessment programmes that are pedagogically sound and culturally accommodating. The paper proposes a model to assist lecturers to achieve this aim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors describe a classroom experiment on exchange rates appropriate for undergraduate courses in macroeconomics, international economics, and money and banking. Student teams compete by managing virtual portfolios of six foreign currencies over a period of several weeks. Trading requires a few minutes in class. Students gain an understanding of currency movements, financial risk, and portfolio management. The experiment allows for a test of the efficient markets hypothesis. A single class spreadsheet is used to record the history of trades and portfolio balances, assist in formulation of team strategy, and provide the raw data for students to analyze their performance in an end-of-semester reflection paper. Sample outcomes from classes in money and banking and international economics are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planning is a practical multifarious discipline and thus teamwork competence is important for urban planners. Cooperative learning is a possible method of obtaining this competence in the education process. Our aim is to investigate the cooperative learning method on the Urban Planning undergraduate course at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. Our paper focuses on the influence of student-directed assessment on free-riding problem, and students´ dealing with teachers´ dissensus. We present student perspectives based on a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews with all students in the final year of the course. The results are discussed considering cultural differences based on aspects of power distance and uncertainty avoidance. Our main findings support the importance of a student-driven approach in collaborative learning as prevention against the free-riding problem, and multiple teacher lessons as prevention against the conformist approach, and to promote critical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights a new introductory level course entitled "Thermodynamics, Equilibria, and Kinetics" that provides students with an early introduction to incorporating analytical chemistry into their laboratory work. The rationale for creating the course and the course's format are outlined. Examples highlighting the use of spectroscopy illustrate the development of a student's ability to think as an analytical chemist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Green and Thorburn claim that examination physical education now holds a dominant place in both the UK's national discourse and in the lives and careers of many teachers. Despite the move towards the academicisation of physical education and the proliferation of accredited qualifications in a number of countries, both of which have been celebrated by many physical educators, there is little research that investigates the actual process of teaching such courses. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how pedagogical change in examination physical education using collaborative learning was experienced by, and impacted on, pupils and teachers in one school during a year long, assessed unit of Advanced Subsidiary Level physiology and anatomy that formed part of a wider examination course in physical education. Methodology: The study took place in a comprehensive secondary school in the South East of England. With support from his head of department, a teacher attempted to modify his pedagogical approach away from the didactic approach that dominated his classroom-based teaching of AS Level physical education. Interviews were undertaken with the teacher and the head of department (HoD) both before the start of the course and after the exam results were published. Additionally, each student (n = 5) was interviewed and a wiki (which had been set up as a platform for collaborative learning within the group) was analysed for content and usage. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and each was independently analysed by the researchers. Data were subject to inductive analysis and constant comparison and key themes were drawn from this process. Findings: The paper examines the concerns about performance and engagement of pupils with AS physical education and interrogates the teachers' beliefs about the underpinning pedagogical issues in the teaching of this course. The teachers' expressed concern about the pedagogical knowledge and subject matter content knowledge for anatomy and physiology units. The process of changing the traditional teaching styles adopted for this unit is explored from both teacher and pupil perspectives. Finally, we consider the impact of the pedagogical changes on teachers, pupils and examination results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes an audit workplace simulation and investigates its effects on students’ perceptions of competences, required as important in the auditing industry. Within the competence-based teaching framework, this training activity involves cooperative learning as it combines first-undergraduate and senior students within one team. First, we explore how some key competences are initially appreciated by first-year students. Second, our research empirically assesses how the simulation modifies students’ awareness of those competences. Results of the pretest reveal that senior students’ awareness on key competences is higher than of first-undergraduate students. In particular, communication skills are initially not considered as relevant by the first-year students. Results of the posttest reveal that our intervention significantly improves first-undergraduates’ awareness of technical accounting knowledge and communication skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accounting education faces significant challenges in many countries as it seeks to meet the demand of the profession in the twenty-first century. One of those requirements is that young professionals have teamwork skills. Therefore, many universities include group work activities in their curriculum. In the daily experience, however, students and instructors sometimes hold negative feelings about cooperative learning. Therefore, this article addresses seven disagreements on cooperative learning, frequently mentioned by students and instructors. In particular, (1) group work is only invented to reduce grading time; (2) putting students into a group turns them automatically into a team; (3) teamwork certainly has a positive effect on student satisfaction; (4) free riding, social loafing, or a reduction in effort are simply inevitable; (5) peer assessment solves all problems; (6) guiding teamwork is a piece of cake; and (7) teamwork reduces the individual student’s workload. The paper gives a voice to these issues and provides suggestions for improvement in relation to any or all aspects of cooperative learning in accounting education. A theoretical framework of cooperative learning is presented and ideas to overcome many (or all of the) problems on group work are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of cooperative learning have focused largely on specific interventions within individual modules. The aim of this paper is to examine the student perceptions of their cumulative experiences at the end of a four-year undergraduate programme, during which cooperative learning work was implemented in a piecemeal manner, and explore how gender and academic ability impact on those experiences. Data was collected using a survey methodology. Students emphasised the process of cooperative learning, including peer learning and social support, rather than the deliverable outputs of group work. Both male and female students reported difficulties, such as dysfunctional interpersonal relationships and organisational challenges; however, these appear to have had a stronger impact on female students. Academic ability influenced the type of benefit students perceived as gained, with higher academic ability students emphasising social aspects and leadership skills. The results suggest that repeated exposure to cooperative learning had benefits, in terms of social benefits, peer learning and transferable skills, even where the manner of its implementation did not conform to the ideal framework for cooperative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mission, values, and objectives of engineering programs worldwide include statements about social responsibility and commitment to the development of a better society. For example, to (i) instil in students a discriminating way of thinking so that they act in responsible ways to meet the needs and requirements of our changing contemporary world; (ii) foster tolerance and commitment to civic duties and human rights; and (iii) foster the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind. Learning outcomes for graduates in most engineering programs address ethics, integrity, social responsibility, compassion, and living a life with purpose. Such outcomes are aligned with the CDIO Syllabus v2.0, particularly in CDIO 2.5.2 "Ethics, Integrity, and Social Responsibility" and CDIO 2.5.3 "Proactive Vision and Intention in Life". While many engineering programs state objectives and learning outcomes in these areas, few have developed effective teaching and learning strategies that systemically address them. For the most part, engineering programs are not adequately addressing ethics, integrity, and social responsibility. This paper is based on the assumption that young adults in our engineering classrooms want to live lives that matter, that is, they want to contribute to the betterment of society through the pursuit of their careers. Sometimes, cultural factors present challenges to their pursuits. A culture of individualism, for example in the United States, emphasises freedom, independence, and competition, often at the expense of others. In other cultures, for example, in much of the Global South, the emphasis is less on independence and more on solidarity, collaboration, and social responsibility. This paper examines the meaning and foundations of social responsibility and addresses ways in which engineering programs can help students to develop social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the academic year 2010–2011, Spain finished the process of introducing the regulatory changes derived from the Bologna Declaration and the new European Space for Higher Education (ESHE). These changes have implied the updating of university degrees’ structure as well as the inclusion of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). This paper describes the process of adaptation of two basic first-semester core subjects of computer engineering to one of the basic aspects of the ESHE, the adoption of the ECTS. The process described in the paper was developed in the framework of the pilot plan undertaken by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona between 2005 and 2010. The proposed course design implies a better coordination and integration of the contents of two different subjects that students follow simultaneously, and it is based on the combination of project-based learning and cooperative learning. After the experience finished, an extended quantitative and qualitative analysis of the academic results over the five-year period has shown an improvement in the students’ learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational research in cooperative learning suggests that inequity based on perceived status may be an issue with heterogeneous cooperative learning groups. This paper explores issues of status based on race, ethnicity and cultural background in the New Zealand tertiary classroom where there is a diverse mix of domestic and international students. A four-year research project examined attitudes and perceptions of both domestic and international tertiary students towards cooperative learning. The findings of the research project indicate that initial assumptions of relative status and ability of group members have a major effect on the outcomes of the group. These assumptions, demonstrated by both domestic and international students, may be based on expectations of language ability and familiarity with the pedagogical environment, including the assumed norms and behavioural patterns of the host educational setting, and may disadvantage students from different cultural backgrounds. This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy limiting the effective interaction and participation in the group by international students and other students perceived to be of low status, and the development of trust and reciprocal interdependence among group members. Strategies to weaken the effects of status, promote more equitable interaction and foster productive group outcomes are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Armenia is in the midst of major educational reforms in which teacher professional development is a key component. Much of the energy devoted to developing education in Armenia is targeted towards enhancing student-centred teaching, especially cooperative learning. This has become a significant challenge for many schools and teachers as they cope with understanding, learning and adapting these approaches in their current work. This paper explores teachers' views and understanding of cooperative learning and then discusses how national education policies should address further implementation of cooperative learning in Armenian schools. Data were collected through a large-scale nationwide survey and focus-group interviews. Observations in training workshops on cooperative learning also constitute part of the data used in this study. The main finding is that most teachers believe that they have adequate knowledge and understanding of cooperative learning after attending the training workshops, but that only a few are able to integrate it as an active part of their pedagogical repertoire. This paper contributes to a currently weak research base on implementing cooperative learning in fragile educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the integration of cooperative learning (CL) activities into a graduate teacher education course, Collaborative Teaching in English as a Second Language (ESL). Because teachers and researchers have both identified discipline status and relationship issues as challenges to collaboration, this course focused on relational dynamics such as respect, trust, reciprocity, and approachability as central to the successful implementation of collaborative practice. CL activities were integrated into the program to encourage ESL teachers to explore their own values and expectations for learning as well as their own communication styles which might facilitate or hinder collegiality. The research question asks how CL contributes to teachers' understanding of themselves as communicators, collaborators, and agents of change. From a qualitative analysis of observer notes, journal entries, classroom discussions, group activities, and autobiographies, this paper highlights how dimensions of CL can be used not only as methodology in second-language teacher education but also as a model for developing collaborative relationships between ESL and content-area teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the pedagogical changes that I experienced as a teacher engaged in an action research project in which I designed and implemented an indirect, developmentally appropriate and child-centred approach to my teaching. There have been repeated calls to expunge - or at least rationalise - the use of traditional, teacher-led practice in physical education. Yet despite the advocacy of many leading academics there is little evidence that such a change of approach is occurring. In my role as teacher-as-researcher I sought to implement a new pedagogical approach, in the form of cooperative learning, and bring about a positive change in the form of enhanced pupil learning. Data collection included a reflective journal, post-teaching reflective analysis, pupil questionnaires, student interviews, document analysis, and non-participant observations. The research team analysed the data using inductive analysis and constant comparison. Six themes emerged from the data: teaching and learning, reflections on cooperation, performance, time, teacher change, and social interaction. The paper argues that cooperative learning allowed me to place social and academic learning goals on an even footing, which in turn placed a focus on pupils' understanding and improvement of skills in athletics alongside their interpersonal development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors outline a project that they initiated in a mainstream primary school to promote cooperative learning throughout the school by using a lesson process to teach social and emotional skills. In doing so they provide a brief overview including research of the benefits of cooperative learning, followed by a description of how the project developed. Some evidence is presented from a variety of sources examining the impact of the project. The paper concludes by examining the factors that helped to establish cooperative learning practices in the school and by suggesting the kinds of data that may be useful to gather in the development of the project in other schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Best occupational therapy practice requires a commitment to ongoing learning to enhance clinical reasoning. This paper describes a five-step cooperative learning process to advance clinical reasoning based on the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO). During the five-step process the MOHO concepts and assessments provide opportunities for therapists to develop occupation-focused clinical reasoning and deepen their knowledge of the theory and its application in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior researchers have described how individuals prefer to learn with different types of activities. Vincent and others (2002) have reported that business students prefer kinesthetic and interpersonal modes of learning and prescribe their use in the international business curriculum. Based on their findings, this paper presents a compendium of projects for instructors to consider when planning coursework for international accounting students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structured controversy is one type of cooperative learning strategy. It involves students in researching positions on topics and then debating each other. A unique aspect of this strategy is that students then reverse sides and argue the other position. This paper discusses the use of the structured controversy process to teach diversity content in the classroom. It addresses the advantages and barriers to using structured controversy, and identifies ways in which structured controversy can be used in the social work curriculum to teach cultural competence. The article also reports on an evaluation of the structured controversy process that was used in BSW and MSW classrooms. The findings from this evaluation suggest that structured controversy is an extremely useful technique for teaching diversity and cultural competence. The vast majority of students reported increased knowledge about and sensitivity to the concerns of people from diverse backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we share our experiences in designing, offering and evaluating undergraduate assignments that used information technologies to help undergraduate students from different universities collaborate on resource and environmental management problems in Canada. We focus on conditions of collaborative learning and peer review, especially how our uses of information technology reduced or increased the challenges of creating the conditions necessary for collaboration. In particular, we consider our successes and setbacks regarding five challenges: (1) composing effective groups, (2) providing sufficient time, (3) encouraging individual accountability, (4) enhancing regional perspectives, and (5) incorporating peer review and reducing competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Zealand tertiary classrooms are a mix of New Zealand’s ethnically diverse domestic students and predominantly Asian international students. This multicultural diversity, while having potential to enhance educational experience, brings challenges for teachers in the use of cooperative learning. A major challenge is status inequality in diverse student groups. Elizabeth Cohen’s work on status is relevant to an understanding of status issues in New Zealand educational institutions as it gives educators the sociological framework and the practical tools to meet this challenge. This paper, based on a 12-year research study into cooperative learning resulting in a national teacher education programme run by the authors, examines Cohen’s ideas and their relevance to the New Zealand context. It identifies status activators and issues in New Zealand student groups and recommends actions and interventions to modify the activation of status effects. The aim is to give teachers tools to exploit the full range of expertise and experience in diverse tertiary student groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the impact of supporting pre-service teachers to use cooperative learning in one initial teacher education institution in England. In a context where the government requires all teacher education to be ‘school-led’ and where school partners do not commonly use cooperative learning (Baines, Rubie-Davies, and Blatchford 2009), this presents challenges. Ensuring that government priority areas are fully addressed also squeezes the time available for pre-service teachers to develop the necessary depth of understanding of cooperative learning. Yet driven by a research-led programme that supports students to examine effective learning and teaching approaches, one university has endeavoured over the last five years to help all its student-teachers understand and adopt cooperative learning. In order to capture the impact, questionnaires and interviews with student-teachers have been utilised each year; results are summarised here together with research carried out by one of the students on the views of her cohort. Two short vignettes of former students in their early years of teaching signal the importance of formative experiences on teachers’ positive self-efficacy, and particularly the lasting impact of observing effective practice early in the journey to become a teacher. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper focuses on the factors that are likely to play a role in individual learning outcomes from group discussions, and it includes a comparison featuring test-enhanced learning. A between-groups design (N = 98) was used to examine the learning effects of feedback if provided to discussion groups, and to examine whether group discussions benefit learning when compared to test-enhanced learning over time. The results showed that feedback does not seem to have any effect if provided to a discussion group, and that test-enhanced learning leads to better learning than the discussion groups, independent of retention interval. Moreover, we examined whether memory and learning might be influenced by the participants’ need for cognition (NFC). The results showed that those scoring high on NFC remembered more than those who scored low. To conclude, testing trumps discussion groups from a learning perspective, and the discussion groups were also the least beneficial learning context for those scoring low on NFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory qualitative study using the implementation of Wenger’s [(1998).Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press; Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems.Organization,7(2), 225–246] Theory of Communities of Practice to develop an Accounting Community of Practice (ACOP) pedagogy. Students from eight accounting courses who participated, in the120 narratives and 280 surveys used as data, practice and develop critical real-world professional accounting competencies by linking three structural foundations: (1) accountability to joint enterprise, (2) mutual engagement, and (3) shared repertoire of communal resources. Competencies promoted by the AICPA [(1999).Core competency framework of entry into the accounting profession. Retrieved fromhttp://www.aicpa.org/edu/corecomp.htm; AICPA. (2006).Core competency framework of entry into the accounting profession. Retrieved from http://www.aicpa.org/edu/corecomp.htm); International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). (2003).International education standard No. 3, professional skills. Retrieved from www.ifac.org; IFAC. (2015).Meeting future expectations of professional competence: A consultation on the IAESB’S future strategies and priorities. Retrieved from www.iaesb.org; ICAEW. (1996).Added value professionals: Chartered accountants in England and Wales. London: Author], and other professional bodies include problem-solving, leadership, project management, and interaction. ACOP strategy is effective in maintaining dynamic learning environments, increasing students’ awareness of trust, open communication, and creative thinking. Meaning and knowledge are owned in ACOP where the focus of the class shifts from instructor to students. This study adds to limited empirical research in communal forms of learning in accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Adventure education is an instructional model where students participate in adventurous activities to acquire physical, cognitive, and affective skills. It also has strong connections with cooperative learning. Parkour is a fast-growing sport practiced by thousands of youngsters all over the world. The media does not portray it as an educational content, but resourcefulness, maturity, cooperation, and respect are among its basic principles. It also appears to have a direct connection with risk-taking, self-discipline, and autonomy. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess students' ideas, views, and/or feelings after experiencing a parkour learning unit. Participants and settings: The research project was conducted in an intact, sixth-grade physical education class in an elementary school located in the northern part of Spain. A total of 26 students with ages ranging between 11 and 12 years (mean age 11.4 ± 0.6) participated in the study. There were 14 boys and 12 girls. Data collection: At the end of the intervention programme, all participating students were asked to ‘Describe your feelings, your thoughts, and your ideas on the parkour learning unit that you just experience in physical education'. Data analysis: MAXQDA 11, a qualitative software package, was used to assist with data management. All participants' answers were analysed via thematic content analysis and constant comparison. Findings: Five major categories emerged from data analysis: enjoyment, fear, social skills, problem-solving skills, and integration. Our findings agree with previous researchers who believe that parkour could be considered an educational content due to all the different positive outcomes that it brings to the physical education class. It seems to promote the development of social and problem-solving skills in the students. Both are competences that should be encouraged and fostered in our youngsters. Furthermore, it is considered a fun activity, it promotes students' integration, and it teaches them how to cope with fear. Conclusion: In contrast to popular views portrayed by the media, the sport of parkour can be a safe, educational content. School cannot turn its back on sports or contents whose popularity is rapidly increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this paper is to describe the design of chemical engineering laboratory sessions in order to focus them on the learning company approach. This is an activity carried out in the classroom similar to the activities that exist in real companies. This could lead classroom practice to a more cooperative learning and a different style of experimentation. The stated goal is to make a design that seeks to motivate students in a cooperative manner to perform their experiments self-directed and self-organised. The teaching organisation and development of participatory action research are described. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Physical education has long been caught in a time of ‘innovation without change’. Yet, despite a wealth of pedagogical innovations and policies, which encourage a reconsideration of the ‘traditional pedagogy’, teachers rarely move beyond the honeymoon period of implementation. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how communities of practice emerge, develop and support innovation that results in pedagogical change. Participants and setting: Six secondary school teachers from a comprehensive secondary school in the UK used the Cooperative Learning model, which was identified as the pedagogical innovation, to teach physical education for a minimum of four units of activity (6–8 lessons each). Teachers were supported by a researcher who acted as a boundary spanner. Research design: To support their understanding and use of Cooperative Learning the teachers' engaged with action research through (a) the analysis of their observations and reflections, (b) dialogue with the boundary spanner and colleagues, and (c) negotiation with their students. Multiple sources of data informed the study including: teacher reflections, a field journal, a Verification Tool, interviews, teacher observations, professional learning meetings, and discussions on social media. Data analysis: Data were analysed through constant comparison, inductive analysis and peer examination. Findings: The boundary spanner was a catalyst for the adoption and sustained use of pedagogical innovation, facilitating teachers' use of action research, driving social energy, and the subsequent emergence of a community of practice. Conclusion: If physical education is to move beyond the traditional pedagogies, then communities of practice are a professional learning strategy that can support pedagogical innovation with change, especially when boundary spanners help to get them started. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper is based on research that demonstrates the positive effects of the cooperative learning model Group Investigation (GI) and the Six-Mirror model on teacher effectiveness in organizing and scaffolding CL activities, and changing students’ and teachers’ views of diversity. We explain how the connection between the two models leads to specific changes in the teachers’ role and approach to implementing GI, which in turn lead to significant changes in students’ and teachers’ attitudes and points of view about cooperative learning and diversity, as revealed in teacher interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper is to discuss group learning in line with economic perspectives of embeddedness and integration emanating from the work of Karl Polanyi. Polanyi’s work defines economy as a necessary interaction among human beings for survival; the economy is considered inextricably linked from broader society and social relations rather than autonomous and driven by self-interest in free market conditions. He specifically outlines three key forms of integration that are crucial to economic stability, involving the notions of reciprocity, redistribution, and exchange. These patterns of integration are described as key elements that co-mingle within and structure contemporary group learning within classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]