Action research is a method of examining one's own practice through reflection and critical self-study. In this paper, the author considers her experience teaching a two-day lesson on connections and relationships in William Forsythe's dance "One Flat Thing, reproduced" (2000) and the accompanying website, Synchronous Objects. The author reviews…

The impulse to investigate the natural world is deeply rooted in our earliest childhood experiences. This notion has long guided researchers to uncover the cognitive mechanisms underlying the development of scientific reasoning in children. Until recently, however, research in cognitive development and education followed largely independent…

A new journal feature shares practical ideas in experiential education in less than 800 words. This issue presents an initiative problem, rules for rope push, exercise illustrating dependence on schedules, how to experience a handicap, maple sugaring project, assignment bridging the generation gap, simulating literary experiences, and local…

Provides activities for the study of light as a theme for December, which encompasses Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Includes science activities and suggested books for children and teachers. (HTH)

How to use elementary school children as curators of a classroom museum is described. The teacher decides the concept or unit to be showcased in the museum. As curators students are responsible for many tasks including writing descriptive paragraphs for the artifacts and arranging the artifact display. (RM)

Learning systems or creativity games are innovative strategies for teaching a variety of subjects with maximum rewards for teachers and students alike. By definition, learning systems are in opposition to the conventional teaching formula. They are productivity rather than procedurally oriented, and they rely on discovery rather than reception…

Play allows children to make creative discoveries. This is a result of the fact that creation comes from tinkering and the absence of fear of failure, rather than from minds trained to follow what is already known. Suggestions for building a curriculum based on serious play are offered. (LB)

A visual model of fractions, the tower of bars, is used to discover patterns. Examples include equalities, inequalities, sums of unit fractions, sums of differences, symmetry, and differences and products. Infinite sequences of numbers, infinite series, and concepts of limits can be introduced. (DC)

Discusses classroom organization and management techniques for using Logo in an elementary school classroom, including computer placement, daily scheduling, utilization of resource charts for questions on computer use, and student use of diskettes for keeping track of their computer accomplishments. A rationale for choosing Logo is also provided.…

This activity book for teachers and students presents ideas for lessons on Christopher Columbus. Three sections offer teaching ideas and student activities focusing on Columbus's inspiration and preparation for departure, the science of navigation and the voyage, and the pros and cons of changes brought about by Columbus's voyage. (SM)

Discusses the rationale for Academy of Inquiry and Talent Development enrichment projects in middle schools and provides examples of the activities pursued in these projects. Considers the authentic-learning and real-life problem-solving objectives of the projects, their organization, and the three types of enrichment: general exploratory, group…

This book offers alternative approaches for local hiking events, such as creating extensive science, math or art projects, in order to energize a group of children. Chapter 1, "Getting Started," provides details on planning a hike, including getting supports, managing materials, setting the tone, questioning techniques, basic ecological…

This unit, one in a set of teacher-developed materials for elementary geography, emphasizes that children act as geographers in activities that use a classroom as the environment. Exploration and discovery through game playing and maps are the techniques used for instruction as an alternative approach to content teaching by discussion. The first…

Domino games are used to illustrate problem-solving techniques in a college principles-of-mathematics course. Students develop tables and use Pascal's triangle to find the total number of pips and the sum of numbers on the pieces. (DC)

Presents a hands-on mathematics task that can be investigated experimentally to produce a sequence of numbers. Describes ways to extrapolate values of the table of numbers by formulating and verifying a conjecture related to the pattern in the numbers. (MDH)