One way that child care programs can help prepare future professionals in the field is to offer opportunities for the student to gain real life experience in a program. This is where internships are indispensable. An internship will help a novice develop their skills under the watchful eye of a more seasoned mentor. With internships, not only is…

The soul of the current educational reform is to "develop innovative spirit and ability to implement ideas in practice." In order to meet China's needs in human resources in the new century, a recommendation to aggressively launch research-oriented learning at the high school level was made for the first time at the Third National…

Nissequogue River State Park is one of the last large tracts of undeveloped land on Long Island (NY) and is a refuge for organisms displaced by the rapid and extensive growth of suburbia. A reconstructed 120 year old barn and stable house the Outdoor Learning Laboratory which consists of interpretive displays (bird and mammal identification,…

The clean and plentiful waters of the Connetquot basin's ponds, streams and marshlands have nurtured an extraordinarily rich ecosystem which has always been prized by both Native Americans and subsequent immigrants to this country. Since 1973, 3,476 acres have been preserved as Connetquot River State Park. To aid elementary and secondary teachers…

Since 1971 a fully equipped learning laboratory building and the open fields, woodlands, salt water marshes, and beaches of Sunken Meadow State Park have been available for year round day use by students and educators in New York's Suffolk and Nassau counties. Funded by the New York Office of Parks and Recreation and local Boards of Cooperative…

Sunken Meadow State Park provides a year round three-fold ecosystem (marine beach, salt marsh, and wooded upland) of 1,266 acres for Suffolk County (NY) teachers and students to use as a site for outdoor education activities. While teachers can rely on the support of the Outdoor Learning Laboratories' staff for aid in emergencies, for clarifying…

Since 1968, Lindbergh School District fifth graders have participated in a five day resident camp program designed to foster an appreciation for nature, to promote self-reliance while developing emotional maturity, and to provide a communal living experience with peers and teachers. The handbook is a composite of teachers', administrators', and…

Developed during an evaluation of the Alverno College (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Off Campus Experiential Learning (OCEL) program, this manual provides suggestions for (1) designing experiential learning programs integrating academic and off-campus work experiences for postsecondary women students and evaluating existing experiential learning…

Four experiential learning programs that are in the early stages of development are described. The report from the Consortium of the California State University and Colleges details the efforts of a traditional, decentralized system to introduce flexibility into the use of examinations for crediting prior learning. A description of a large,…

The booklet provides guidelines, concrete curriculum plans, and rough ideas on urban adventure programs for suburban high school students. Following an overview that explains a three-phase organizing theory (exploration, focusing, action) for urban programs, there are descriptions of: a student-organized and conducted architectural tour of New…

Outstanding community based work now going on in Vermont schools is described in this booklet which also suggests ways to develop similar work in other communities. The term "Community Studies" is used to encompass a broad range of activities carried out with the local community as the focus of and location for students' work. The…