Annotated Bibliography of Resources for Educational Reform, Coherent Teaching Practice, and Improved Student Learning

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• Shulman, J., Lotan, R. A., & Whitcomb, J. A. (Eds.). (1998). Groupwork in diverse classrooms: A casebook for educators. New York: Teachers College Press.

As traditional educational goals for students are deemed inadequate in our changing society, new expectations take their place. More complex and useful goals include being able to identify and use of resources, frame and solve problems, pursue hypotheses, and rethink and redirect efforts when needed. Groupwork has been identified as a well-documented and highly recommended strategy to achieve these more complex educational goals for students. Teachers, however, often struggle with the strategy as they attempt to make it work for themselves and their students. The cases collected in this book describe dilemmas and possibilities of groupwork. The authors describe cases as "candid, dramatic, highly readable accounts of teaching events or series of eventsÉ[that] show a problem-based snapshot of an on-the-job dilemma." Cases provide opportunities for teachers to reflect on the experiences and frustrations of others and can, thus, be a useful professional development tool, an effective strategy for engaging a community of educators in reflection about their own practice, and a means to build collegiality. The cases are organized into two main sections: conceptions of teaching and learning and facilitating groupwork interactions. The first section is especially appropriate for examining the impact of instructional strategies both on the class and individual students.

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