Service-learning, especially from a critical perspective, is a method of education that aims to bring students into relationships with community members to foster mutual understanding and give opportunity for shared learning and service. Universities that are compelled by their faith to seek justice may be the most effective at implementing…

Dispels some discouraging myths about authentic learning's context, mastery, originality, entertainment value, and task complexity. The main point is to let students encounter and master situations that resemble real life, which has its tedious and unengaging moments. Educators should work toward more (rather than complete) authenticity, exploit…

In one Colorado fifth grade classroom, math period begins with Mathematician's Chair, an activity allowing students to share their problems with entire class. Using this technique, students became adept at writing math problems, solving their own and peers' problems, using math-related writing as important medium of social discourse, and making…

William Heard Kilpatrick, who pioneered project-based learning in the early 1900s, advocated basing schools on child-chosen projects engendering "purposeful activity." When children are allowed to choose what to explore, they become intrinsically motivated to work hard and strive for the highest quality. A fifth-grade teacher describes…

Reviews current elements of administrative thought and practice, aiming to provide a comprehensive outline for new programmatic ventures in educating future principals. Describes an existing nontraditional leadership preparation program at Butler University that allows students to work cooperatively on projects, learn through self-direction,…

Profiles Art Turner, head of an interdisciplinary team of four curriculum specialists in the Oxford Hills (Maine) Schools. Originally hired to ensure elementary students' readiness for junior high school, the specialists are continuing as agents of curriculum improvement in science, mathematics, social studies, and language arts. Cooperative and…

To foster community among students, teachers require training that gives them a positive community experience and equips them with experience-based pedagogical and curricular tools. Stanford University's Experiential Curricula Project embodies five principles: moving from students' experience to theory; engaging students in common projects;…

Describes the concept of action learning and the use of action learning circles in practice, focusing on health care education. Uses evaluation data from participants in action learning circles to show how action learning circles can promote learning from practice. (SLD)

Postsecondary institutions are in a unique position to help alleviate social problems. Service learning, which integrates community service and academic study, is an active pedagogy of involvement that takes students beyond monocultural campus settings to multicultural community contexts. A University of Montana teacher-education class that places…

This article presents an overview of living/learning centers (academic programs based in residence halls) at large universities and presents a case study evaluating a living/learning center academic program at the University of Illinois. Program evaluation confirmed the academic credibility of the program and student satisfaction, in that 94…

Delineates the need for and describes an experiential course on self-concept development for preservice teachers in the early childhood Associate Degree program at New Mexico State University. Notes that activities designed for nontraditional adult learners focus on development of self-knowledge, esteem, and ideals through self assessment and…

Studying global economic system helps middle-school students unravel complexities of world economics by focusing on other countries, their motivations as consumers, and their decision-making processes. By examining interrelationship of economics and everyday life, students can see their place in economic chain. Concepts such as marketing, stock…

Experiential drama consists of short skits that address various value areas. Issues drawn from student experiences are used in the dramatizations, which portray the actual experiences and incidents. Students develop the scenarios and present them to classes, social agencies, churches, and businesses. Educational benefits abound. (MLH)

The purpose of the 3-year project was to strengthen the role of experiential education as an accepted and effectively used way of teaching in a majority of postsecondary institutions and to make it available to a majority of future learners as part of the regular curriculum. Among specific objectives were assisting 160 colleges and universities to…

Describes experiential learning and guidance activities provided to preservice early childhood educators at the University of Western Sydney which better enable them to establish preschool environments that stimulate curiosity and promote thinking. Notes how students found that collaborative activities with interactive dialog nurtured their…