Abstract
This chapter explores three major strands in the development of CL approaches in the U.K. The first examines the role of cooperative group work in facilitating the personal growth of the individual; the second focuses on cooperative group work as a means of enhancing the child's thinking abilities; and the third looks at some wider social outcomes for the child which participation in cooperative group work may imply. Educational practice and research findings form the basis for the argument in the chapter. © 1995.