"I enjoyed the book, learned a LOT, and LOVE her creativity in discussing different examples that help group constructs some to life. It represents the breadth of the new Group Communication Division in NCA better than any book I have seen." —David Seibold, University of California, Santa Barbara "I can unequivocally state that the proposed text is LONG overdue! Over the years I have reviewed several text proposals. SunWolf′s proposal ranks in the 99th percentile. . . . This is one of the most innovative, heuristic, pragmatic, and engaging proposals I have ever perused." —Jim L. Query, Jr., University of Houston "Peer Groups is different from the run-of-the-mill group text book. I can see that my students will learn so much more from Dr. SunWolf′s orientation than they have from the other books I′ve used. The benefits are that the topics related to [students′] practical world and that there is so much to foster in-class discussion. Although many students are familiar with the ′work world,′ they are not yet there. Dr. SunWolf provides them with what is relevant in their lives now!" —Audrey E. Kali, Framingham State College Clans, cliques, clubs, or classmates: Students of group communication should be encouraged to think critically about concepts to the groups that matter to them most—peers. Peer Groups is the first textbook to explore group communication dynamics with this vital group. Drawing on a combination of traditional and new theories, Dr. SunWolf uses an inviting writing style, shares the words and provocative thinking of real world group members, and draws on research from social psychology, communication, and group dynamics. This innovative book offers suggestions for critical thinking and new behaviors in students′ own peer groups and will inspire further exploration of small group dynamics. Features and Benefits Introduces students and researchers to cutting-edge cross-disciplinary thinking with new theories that explain group dynamics and member behaviors: Symbolic-Interpretive Perspective, Group Dialectics, Decisional Regret Theory, Social Comparison Theory, and the Bona Fide Group Perspective Examines the dynamics of real world peer groups: children′s play groups, adolescence cliques, street gangs, elite hot task groups, and decision-making juries Generates readers′ interest in studying group behaviors by drawing upon students′ personal experiences with groups Brings marginalized groups and ethnicities to the stage, from African American cowboys to multi-ethnic street gangs, including the painful issue of those left out of peer groups Offers a student-friendly reference guide with an extensive and easy-to-read table that summarizes group concepts and theories Guides classroom discussion, triggers critical thinking, and suggests useful written assignments and tools for break-out discussions with end-of-chapter sections Intended Audience This accessible and innovative text is designed for undergraduate students of Communication, Social Psychology, and Sociology. It is designed to supplement and partner with any current group textbook, as well as act as a stand-alone text. Dr. SunWolf is a scholar of unusual breadth and depth. She is a cross-disciplinary scholar in the fields of legal communication, persuasion, multicultural storytelling, social exclusion, and group decision making. Her national award-winning productivity in the past five years has been astonishing: the publication of five books, 22 journal articles or book chapters, a published educational DVD, and serving on the editorial board of five journals. Dr. SunWolf broke new ground by publishing in a top journal a new theory of communication (Decisional Regret Theory), expanding the field of small group communication to include the study of childhood group processes, gathering data from 680 adolescents in the Bay Area, as well as being the first author in trial advocacy to devote sustained attention to jurors′ religious beliefs and the role of empathy and compassion in jury deliberations.

This comprehensive, authoritative handbook covers the breadth of theories, methods, and empirically based findings on the ways in which children and adolescents contribute to one another's development. Leading researchers review what is known about the dynamics of peer interactions and relationships from infancy through adolescence. Topics include methods of assessing friendship and peer networks; early romantic relationships; individual differences and contextual factors in children's social and emotional competencies and behaviors; group dynamics; and the impact of peer relations on achievement, social adaptation, and mental health. Salient issues in intervention and prevention are also addressed.

Includes CD-Rom Pupils are rarely taught the principles of effective co-operation although being able to work effectively as part of a group is critical in all contexts; school, life and work. The book is based on the author′s practical experience of running the programme in schools and is underpinned by research into the development of pro-social behaviour and friendship skills. The 26 sessions are arranged in the sequence of the alphabet from Attitude to the Zest for life. In each session there is a poster and a ′take away′ activity as well as full facilitators′ notes for whole class introduction, pair and share tasks and a plenary. A unique feature of the programme is that it addresses the development of non-verbal communication, the ability to read social cues. The sessions raise awareness and understanding of the interpersonal skills necessary for friendships, including communication and co-operation. The teaching sessions cover topics such as: - Reciprocity - Commitment - Giving and sharing - Trust - Specific thinking skills. The programme is intended for whole class work but would also be suitable for small groups.

Peer•no•va•tion (pir-n-v-shn) combines the words peer (people like me) and innovation (creativity realized). It’s teamwork of the highest order. Leo Bottary follows up on his two earlier books about leveraging the power of peers in business and in life. With its roots in CEO and executive peer groups, the team-building framework presented in these pages is designed for leaders who want to coach engaged, adaptable, and higher-performing teams. Peernovation embraces lessons from more than a decade of academic research, fieldwork, and personal experiences throughout North America and the United Kingdom. Whether you’re a team leader or team member, learn how to: select the right people for your team create psychological safety and inspire greater productivity build a positive culture of accountability become a better team leader foster a robust learning-achieving cycle If you believe “the power of we begins with me” and that meeting future challenges will require building the best teams possible, then Peernovation is for you.

Peer Groups and Children’s Development considers theexperiences of school-aged children with their peer groups and itsimplications for their social, personal and intellectualdevelopment Focuses on the peer group experiences of children attendingschool in Western societies, from five years of age through toadolescence Considers peer groups in classrooms, friendships made withinand outside of school, and the groups that children participate infor extra-curricular activities Includes a final summary which brings together the significantimplications for theory, policy and practice Unique in that no other volume reviews and integratesliterature relating to peer groups in both classroom andout-of-class settings Addresses the research interests of psychologists andeducationalists, as well as the practical concerns of teachers,parents, counsellors, and policy makers

This clearly written, practical handbook describes an innovative and successful approach to individual, group, and peer supervision that is suitable for use in any environment (clinical, corporate, educational, health, governmental, community): positive supervision. Positive supervision focuses on what actually works instead of on problems and on supervisees' strengths rather than on their deficits. The task of supervisors using this approach is – unlike the more traditional problemsolving – to create solutions with their supervisees and to teach them to apply the same approach when working with their own clients. Essential reading for all supervisors, this book introduces a new form of supervision, based on positive psychology and solution-focused brief therapy, that is shorter, more positive and hopeful, and more cost-effective than traditional methods.

Peer supervision is an important component of many psychotherapists' professional lives, particularly those in private practice. This first and only book on peer supervision groups describes in detail the experience of being in a peer group and gives concrete guidelines for creating and running a group.