Additional resources for classroom use

Theory Into Practice, Wntr, 2002

Di Lisi, From Marbles to Instant Messenger[TM]: Implications of Piaget's Ideas About Peer Learning (pp. 5-12)

1. The Jean Piaget Society web site http://www.piaget.org

The Jean Piaget Society consists of scholars and teachers from a variety of disciplines around the world. The web site provides information about the Society, news about conferences and publications pertaining to Piaget's theory, and the developmental construction of human knowledge.

2. DeVries, R., & Kohlberg, L. (1990). Constructivist early education: Overview and comparison with other programs. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

This volume, provided to members of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, presents a cogent account of Piaget's theory and its implications for early childhood education. Different programs are discussed and compared. Classroom activities for a variety of content areas, including group games and the development of moral judgment, are discussed.

3. Furth, H.G., & Wachs, H. (1975). Thinking goes to school: Piaget's theory in practice. New York: Oxford University Press.

Describes a two-year project in which Piaget's theory was used as the basis to create an early childhood program in Charleston, WV. A summary of the educational implications of Piaget's theory is presented, as is a description of how Piaget's insights about children can be translated into educational programs. More than 170 classroom "thinking games," including games designed to promote peer social development, are described.

Webb et al., Productive Helping in Cooperative Groups (pp. 13-20)

1. Childhood Development Project. (1997). Blueprints for a collaborative classroom. Oakland, CA: Developmental Studies Center.

This book presents a collection of more than 200 small-group activities designed to foster cooperation among students in elementary schools.

2. Dishon, D., & O'Leary, P.W. (1998). A guidebook for cooperative learning: A technique for creating more effective schools. Holmes Beach, FL: Learning Publications.

Guidelines for implementing cooperative learning in the classroom, including basic principles and the roles for teachers and students, are presented here.

3. Gibbs, J. (1995). Tribes: A new way of learning and being together. Sausalito, CA: Center Source Systems.

This publication provides instruction and activities to help develop students' skills at working with others.

Donovan, An Illustration of Practice in Search of Theory (pp. 21-25)

1. The Cooperative Learning Center at the University of Minnesota web site http://www.clcrc.com/index.html

The Cooperative Learning Center web site presents practical procedures to be used in classrooms, schools, and other settings. The Center has developed and maintains a national and international network of educational and training institutions that are using cooperative learning, and includes a listing of numerous books, research articles, book chapters, and training manuals to provide assistance in implementing the procedures developed by the Center.

2. Home page of Dr. Keith J. Topping, Dept. of Psychology, University of Dundee, Scotland, http://www.dundee.ac.uk/psychology/kjtopping/

Dr. Topping has done extensive work in promoting peer learning and literacy. He is director of the Centre for Paired Learning, which develops and researches the effectiveness of methods for non-professionals (e.g., peers, parents, or adult volunteers) to tutor others in core skills (e.g., reading, spelling, writing, thinking skills, science, mathematics, information technology) and across subject boundaries, in all sectors and contexts of education and life-long learning.

3. Apple, M.W., & Beane, J.A. (1999). Democratic schools: Lessons from the chalk face. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.

This book discusses democracy in the classroom and seeks to answer the question, What do I do on Monday morning? Also available from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (http://www.ascd.org).

Palincsar et al., Designing Collaborative Learning Contexts (pp. 26-32)

1. Brewer, J.T. (1993). Schools for thought: A science of learning in the classroom. Cambridge: MIT Press.

In this book, the author illustrates the application of what we know about how children learn, think, and remember to the teaching of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Using classroom examples, the author describes how cognitive research can assist educators to better motivate students, to conduct more useful assessments, and to engage in more effective school reform.

2. Brown, A.L., & Campione, J.C. (1996). Guided discovery in a community of learners. In K. McGilly (Ed.), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory (pp. 229-270). Cambridge: MIT Press.

This article provides a rich description of an approach for designing participation structures, curriculum, instruction, and assessment that places a priority on engaging students in collaborative research to advance their understanding of key biological themes.