Downloads & Free Reading Options - Results

A number of theoretical and practical issues are explored that need to be considered in the design of assessments that use group collaboration to be sure that collaboration works toward, rather than away from, the purpose of the assessment. The traditional purpose of assessment has been to measure individual competence of students in thinking skills and subject matter knowledge. A second purpose can be to measure how well students can perform after they have been given an opportunity to learn from group collaboration. Another purpose is to measure group productivity, and a fourth is to measure student ability to collaborate and function as part of a team. The purpose of the assessment, the goal of group work, and the group processes must be specified clearly and must be measurable. Evaluation procedures and criteria must be consistent with the goal of group work. Students do not automatically know how to work with others, and must be prepared for group assessments. A variety of strategies are suggested for preparation and effective collaboration. (Contains 119 references.) (SLD)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert