This book is about the relationship between cooperation and social responsibility and children's self-esteem. This book shows teachers how to teach children skills that aid cooperation and social responsibility. Chapter 1 examines the problems with competitive and individualistic teaching strategies. Cooperation is explored in greater detail in Chapter 2. This chapter looks at the arenas where cooperation is learned and practiced, including the family and friendships, and provides an understanding of cooperation issues that will help teachers to implement cooperative methods in their classrooms. The self-esteem model that this book is based on is described in Chapter 3. This chapter and Chapter 4 examine the connections between cooperation and self-esteem and show how a learning environment dedicated to cooperation and building a sense of social responsibility enhances different aspects of self-esteem. Chapter 4 also includes a discussion of conformity and the use of rewards. Chapter 5 describes various influences on classroom climate and offers many suggestions for teachers seeking to implement cooperative strategies. Chapter 6 describes seven basic strategies for enhancing cooperation and social responsibility. Chapter 7 looks at special problems, including why some children do not respond well to cooperative contexts. Suggestions to school administrators and school boards for using their influence to help build and to support a cooperative climate at the school and district level are presented in chapters 8 and 9. The appendixes provide a checklist and lists of techniques relating to building self-esteem. (ABL)