This paper focuses on two questions: (1) Can visual arts be an effective way for students to express what they have learned in social studies?; and (2) Can creative activity improve motivation, participation, attitude, and enhance learning in social studies? The sample for study was drawn from 75 fifth-graders in 3 classes in a school located in a…

"Active Learning" refers to activities that help students connect new academic subjects with previous knowledge and experiences. This paper is an outline of a senior seminar on making connections between psychology and the broader lives of students. It is assumed that, for many undergraduate students, basic understandings of human nature…

Today a global shift in education is taking place, moving from a teaching focus to a learning focus. The new vision of education centers on the learner and how teachers can assist the learner in mastering needed competencies and processes required for success in the workplace and in life. This vision looks at the learner as a decision maker,…

Simulations and games have been used in education for decades, but most of this development has been in the areas of business and economics. Well-designed simulations and games have been shown to improve decision-making and critical thinking skills as well as teaching discipline-specific concepts. Active learning also helps students develop…

This book illustrates how problem-based learning (PBL) can enliven curriculum and lesson planning by encouraging students to play a more central role in their own learning process. It provides a framework for efficiently and effectively teaching problem-solving skills, tapping children's interests and previous knowledge, and making the curriculum…

Analyzes effectiveness of learning communities (LCs), which deliberately restructure the curriculum to build a community of learners among students and faculty. Reports that, although LCs have been praised, there continues to be a lively debate among community college educators as they examine and assess how LCs might best help them serve…

Points out the importance of socioscientific aspects of laboratory activities for the development of understanding of different cultures' contributions to science. Describes a lesson on gene splicing using the 5E Learning Model. (YDS)

Describes the results of a controlled experiment that tested the effectiveness of Lord's teaching model in: (a) helping students achieve better grades on standard midterm exams; (b) developing higher level thinking skills; and (c) modifying attitudes towards biology at a large urban university. (Author/SOE)

Notes that students with a history of failure may be hampered by feelings of incompetence and diminished expectations. States that teachers using responsive instruction become attuned to these perceptions and encourage students to regain control of the problem-solving process. Notes that to succeed, teachers must propose certain goals and…

Discusses a methods kit for interactive problem-solving exercises in engineering education as well as a methodology for intelligent evaluation of solutions. The quality of a system teaching logistics thinking can be improved using artificial intelligence. Embedding a rule-based diagnosis module that evaluates the student's knowledge actively…

Moving active learning forward calls for a focus on learners' actorship, not program activities, and requires distinguishing between active learning and active teaching. Experiential education offers an alternative to didactic approaches, not a more attractive form of it. Accepting traditional principles and procedures of…

Presents and analyzes a detailed example of classroom dialogues such as peer instruction, and describes the format, procedures, and curricular materials required for creating the desired lecture-room environment. (Contains 94 references.) (Author/YDS)

Six specific instances in which supplemental instruction (SI) leaders guide student inquiry in college algebra and calculus are described. The active learning strategies used in the situations are analyzed, focusing on the role of the leader and the support provided by SI leader training and supervision. (MSE)

Presents an action-oriented research account of higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS)-oriented teaching of organic chemistry to freshman and sophomore science majors in small and large classes at a relatively small and large university respectively. Finds that inquiry-oriented class discussions, students' active involvement in the learning process,…

Describes the implementation of student active-learning methods into sections of mainstream, introductory general-chemistry courses. Discusses strategies used, including an absolute grading scale, use of informal "ConcepTests" in lectures, cooperative learning workshops, cooperative take-home examinations, and a student advisory…