This USMES unit challenges students to find ways to influence rules and the decision-making process in the school. The teacher resource book for the School Rules unit contains five sections. The first section describes the USMES approach to student-initiated investigations of real problems, including a discussion of the nature of the USMES…

This USMES unit challenges students to find ways to overcome the difficulties in getting from one place to another. The teacher resource book for the Getting There unit contains five sections. The first section describes the USMES approach to student-initiated investigations of real problems, including a discussion of the nature of the USMES…

Describes a study which examined teachers attitudes about the value of practical work, attitude changes from previous studies, how teachers' aims relate to their teaching emphasis, and the differences between teachers who teach for practical exams and those who use teacher assessment of practical work. Presents methods and results. (CW)

This volume brings award-winning literature to all areas of the science curriculum. The lesson plan format includes the four stages of engagement, elaboration, exploration, and connection. Each story is followed by activities that make connections between literature, science, and the arts. Chapters include: (1) "Frog Went A-Courtin',"…

PROMIS (Problem Oriented/Medical Information System), a performance-based system of medical education, is described and suggestions for its application to other educational settings are discussed. PROMIS emphasizes the clarification of educational goals and the evaluation of students doing real work in real settings. (JMD)

The article briefly explains three stages of small group development and suggests ways to apply existing knowledge of group dynamics to outdoor education settings. The article explains the role of expectation, conflict, and stress in behavior change that occurs in the context of extended field excursions. (SB)

Examines the educational challenges created by complex health care delivery systems and the need to train analysts and problem solvers to work effectively within these systems. Illustrates, through a course description, how cognitive and experiential learning approaches can provide the student with a bridge between acquiring technical skills and…

Suggests that both traditional ethics and values education fail in their dichotomous treatment of religion and spirituality. Describes an alternative approach to ethical and moral problem solving in the adventure milieu that incorporates participants' cultural religious traditions and allows the application of these forces and principles to…

Improvements in the mechanism of the whirlybird used in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) unit "Subsystems and Variables" are presented. Variables which can be investigated using this device are discussed. An illustration of the improved device is provided. (CW)

Described is a way to modify the classroom environment so that females and minorities are more encouraged to participate in activities. The use of cooperative skills are emphasized such as active listening and checking for understanding. (KR)

Offers calculus students and teachers the opportunity to motivate and discover the first Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTC) in an experimental, experiential, inductive, intuitive, vernacular-based manner. Starting from the observation that a distance traveled at a constant speed corresponds to the area inside a rectangle, the FTC is discovered,…

Quilt-making is presented as an activity that helps elementary school children recognize and appreciate geometry in their world while developing their problem-solving skills. Students choose an appropriate pattern and cooperatively make the quilt. Related measurement questions and problems are provided. (MDH)

Several types of physics activities that use real-world problems to motivate learners, use computers to assist in developing conceptual understandings, connect problem situations to mathematical models, and use the models to analyze other real-world problems are presented. The topics of racing sports, sailing, and damped harmonic oscillations are…

This chapter discusses the origins of the case method, looks at the question of what is a case, gives ideas about learning in case teaching, the purposes it can serve in the classroom, the ground rules for case discussion, including the role of questions, and new directions for case teaching. (MLW)

Discusses the inherent flaws in considering and using the epistemology of the natural sciences as equivalent to a pedagogic basis for teaching and learning in the natural sciences. Discusses the difference between practicing science and learning to practice science. Concludes with the presentation of three new motives for the use of laboratory…