The Rapid Assessment for Conservation Education (RACE) provides guidelines and tools for identifying conservation education needs and recommending subsequent actions. Interviews, surveys, workshops, and public meetings are among the methods of qualitative and quantitative data collection used to gather information quickly and inexpensively.…

Offers suggestions for developing creative instructional approaches in time-blocked classes. Teachers should continuously engage students in active learning, include group activities to encourage student participation, incorporate activities addressing multiple intelligences, use creative thinking activities, move outside the classroom, employ…

Explains the importance of peer assessment in professional life and describes a course using peer review processes to teach modeling in natural resource management. Uses a typical scientific research protocol and assigns students to review peer proposals considering their expertise and area of interest. Presents guidelines for proposal review,…

Describes the use of student newspapers in a college freshman study skills course. Notes that the students enjoy the exercise. (RS)

Discusses three points to deal with in news reporting: measuring news value; assessing functions of time in reporting the news; and choosing the degree of popularization to be applied within the field of news. Recommends several integrated competitive teaching exercises using these elements. (MG)

Describes a brainstorming/conceptualization activity suitable for adult, secondary, and college levels which serves as a preliminary exercise to test students' prior knowledge and to activate a schema for deeper immersion into a text. Describes how students use the activities to construct a sentence which defines the purpose of their textbook. (RS)

This article suggests ways of teaching critical thinking skills that won't strain crowded schedules. Several curriculum-related ideas and brain teasers are listed. A number of activities are appropriate for odd moments in the school day, such as while students line up for lunch or as they come in from recess. (IAH)

Encourages the use of storytelling by students to develop communication skills and encourage shared learning experiences. Describes several classroom activities that serve as preparation for actual storytelling. (MG)

Graphing activities shouldn't end with data collection; they can be vehicles for communicating information, tools for stimulating discussion and debate, and techniques for engaging students in real mathematical thinking. Graphing activities for primary and intermediate students are suggested. (IAH)

A spelling program was devised for learning-disabled students, using elements from "Signs for Sounds," the Cloze method, and "Auditory Discrimination In-Depth." Day-by-day use of the program involves drawing word pictures, spelling the words with tiles and blocks, writing on the board, using the words in written sentences, spelling bees, etc. (JDD)

Discusses the teacher's role, teaching strategies, and the use of newspapers when working with at-risk learners. Presents four techniques (involving three to five minutes of structured thinking about a topic) that help motivate at-risk learners and focus their thinking. (RS)

The use of drama in the classroom provides concrete opportunities to explore such higher-level thinking abilities as synthesis, evaluation, and divergent thinking. Suggested activities for use with upper elementary and secondary students involve pantomime, verbal improvisation, expressing emotions, and developing characters. (JDD)

Suggestions for using children's literature in special classes for hearing-impaired elementary grade students are offered, using Wanda Gag's "Millions of Cats" as an example that is applied across all curriculum areas. (DB)

Several ideas are presented which can be used by teachers to arouse children's interest in birds and, at the same time, enhance skills in math, reading, writing, art, and creative thinking. A list of reading resources is included. (IAH)

Ten activities classifying buttons are presented. Additional suggestions are given for using children's literature and for how to begin. (MNS)