Authentic assessment differs from traditional paper-and-pencil assessment in that it is designed to reflect students'"real world" experience. Authentic assessments may assume a variety of forms (including demonstrations, oral interviews/presentations, simulations, self-assessments, and peer/instructor evaluations); however, their focus is always…

Inspired by the High/Scope educational approach, this book attempts to systematically and objectively compare different curriculum-based approaches to training early childhood teachers, and to assess how these models could individually and collectively address the problem of improving early childhood program quality nationwide. An analytical and…

Open-ended learning environments (OELEs) provide contexts to support exploration, experimentation, and problem-solving. This paper creates a context for understanding the issues and challenges associated with the design and development of OELEs. Discussion first centers on characteristics of OELEs which differ from traditional learning…

This paper describes experiences from a summer internship in a North Carolina wilderness program for youth 8-18 years of age with a diagnosed learning disability or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Children with ADD are trial and error learners, which makes them excellent candidates for experiential learning. Children with ADD are seekers of…

A study examined how developmental learning and adaptive flexibility relate to critical thinking though a survey of 119 organizational leaders (of 341) who had attended a 5-day Leadership Development Program. A questionnaire adapted from the Center for Creative Leadership's Job Challenge Profile measured developmental learning, the Adaptive Style…

The Volunteer-led Investigations of Neighborhood Ecology, or VINE Program, gives children opportunities to discover and investigate the plants, animals, and ecological relationships that exist right in their own neighborhoods through hands-on natural science investigations. It was established by Denver Audubon Society members as an urban education…

This book describes acclimatization, an approach to nature education that actively involves participants in the environment during a 1-week summer camping experience. The goal is to stimulate awareness of nature, increase appreciation of nature, and motivate further involvement with nature. An outcome of this process is that participants…

This publication is designed to introduce students and teachers to the Model United Nations experience. The Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations (U.N.) system in which students assume the roles of ambassadors to the U.N. and debate the current issues on the U.N.'s agenda. This guide is organized into three chapters. The first…

This manual was developed to assist youth ages 9-11 in developing lifetime leadership skills. The manual describes learning activities in the following areas: (1) understanding self and self-esteem promotion; (2) communicating; (3) getting along with others; (4) learning to learn; (5) making decisions; (6) managing, planning, and organizing; and…

This manual was developed to assist youth in grade 7 (age 13 and beyond) in developing leadership skills. The aim of the project is the development of lifetime skills related to leadership. The manual describes 75 learning activities in the following areas: (1) understanding self; (2) communicating; (3) getting along with others; (4) learning to…

This manual was developed as part of a project to help youth in developing leadership skills. Youth learned skills by observing and participating in groups working together. The manual describes learning activities in seven areas of leadership life skills: (1) understanding self; (2) communicating; (3) getting along with others; (4) learning to…

This manual was developed by the Illinois State 4-H Office as part of a project to assist youth in developing leadership skills. This manual emphasizes skills needed to lead groups. The manual describes learning activities in the following areas of leadership life skills: (1) understanding self; (2) communicating; (3) getting along with others;…

This guide offers Spanish-speaking parents ways in which they can help their children learn about science at home and in the community. Science is a way of looking at the world. It uses everyday techniques such as observation and classification to give us information about things and how they work. Advice to parents that want to support their…

Although experiential education is really the oldest approach to learning, its practitioners have not had an easy time justifying its relevance in the modern educational world. Recent changes in the methodologies of evaluation have provided useful tools for experiential educators. Such tools can be used to refine programming, enhance student…

From breathtaking glacial ravines of Yosemite Valley to weeds growing in neglected rain gutters, this book of activities combines art with scientific research questions. The book is designed to help educators encourage children in the upper primary grades to learn more about the natural world and in particular their local environment. Sixty…