Solar current is an increasingly important aspect of modern life and will be even more so crucial in the students' future. Encouraging students to be the "toolmakers" allows students to take ownership of scientific investigations, as well as forcing them to refine their research questions and hypothesis, including the design and…

The best way for students to learn to read and to come to love reading is--surprise, surprise--by reading in quantity. Unfortunately, many of today's students read far too little. This lack of time spent reading is particularly unfortunate, as reading constitutes a bedrock skill, essential in all subject areas. Thus, we teachers need to devote…

The aim of this paper is to introduce to the education community to a newly developed "Learner Centred Learning-By-Designing Extended Cyberhunts" (LCLBDEC) strategy for teaching and learning in schools. The main focus of the strategy is to enable learners to become designers of an educational tool which assists them to learn during the…

Erick Gordon, founding director of the Student Press Initiative, illustrates collaborations with teachers and students that have motivated students to invest themselves in the process and product of writing, including research, oral history, revision, and an immersion in and commitment to community.

Two educators discuss the role literature plays in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. One emphasizes that literary texts are a source for classroom activities that can motivate learners. The other points out that the English writings of ESL students about their travels and friends published in newsletters and journals generate…

Describes theme binders designed by sixth graders as an independent study component that unites the class as a learning community, showcases student work, and illustrates developmental milestones for parents. Details theme binder components: (1) cover page; (2) introductory page outlining the theme and contents; (3) evaluation sections indicating…

One of a group of modular courses developed for a college-level program in English as a second language (ESL) is an intermediate level course designed to help students develop their knowledge of the world through language. The course, modeled on the popular game Trivial Pursuit, requires students to learn library skills and perform research on a…

In a high school writing workshop, students frequently would go through multiple essay drafts and conferences with the teacher and fellow students before realizing that their theses were incorrect. A teacher devised the "lexivision" to address this problem. Students used Venn diagrams, graphs, or flow charts to represent concepts in the…

Student-designed laboratory exercises have become an important part of the physics classes at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Rather than filling in the blanks of a laboratory workbook, students are required to design and carry out weekly experiments which relate to the physics concepts being studied. Using computers, standard laboratory…

The recent convergence of video and computer technologies presents new opportunities and challenges in education. Video production resources such as cameras and video editing software are now widely available in many schools and homes. The ease of use of these resources has encouraged teachers to use them across the curriculum with students of all…

The language experience approach (LEA) is a means of using the knowledge of language and one's life experiences to create materials for reading and thoughtful consideration. Therefore, LEA seems to be a viable approach to use both with students who are not familiar with the language used or experiences described in a textbook and with older…

Over the past several years, teachers at the West Virginia University Child Development Laboratory have used the language experience approach to develop the literacy skills of young children. To increase child involvement, a scrapbook project for 4-year-olds was conducted each Wednesday for 1 academic year. Each child received a scrapbook and…

Argues that a truly learner-centered approach in second language teaching should be concerned with allowing learners a greater role in the management of their learning by providing opportunities for learner choice in the method and scope of study. Reports on experiments in this approach at the University College of Bahrain. (SED)

Describes how fourth graders, together with first graders, planned, wrote, and edited a book of recollections, opinions, personalized stories, and poems. The article discusses the interviews between the fourth and first grade students, the final editing and production of the book, and the publication party. (SM)

Provides background on ThinkQuest, the world's largest Internet learning competition. Describes the experience of H.D. Perry Middle School in Miramar, Florida, where students designed a Web site about one of their hobbies--juggling. Includes the 1997 ThinkQuest Category of First-Place Winners. (AEF)