Activities and lessons, based on the theory of active learning and designed for a course to promote student involvement, are discussed in this document. Each activity is described and followed by an evaluation that students completed immediately following the activity. Students were asked about how interesting, useful, and relevant each of the…

Each teacher has a style of teaching that provides the most effective way to help students grasp the desired learning concepts. One point teachers agree on is that teaching vocabulary to children needs to be an active process that engages students in entertaining activities and helps them build a bridge between already known vocabulary and the new…

This learning module aims to engage students in problem solving, critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and cooperative learning. The module is appropriate for use in any introductory or intermediate undergraduate course that focuses on human-environment relationships. The module provides students with a broad overview of the human dimensions of…

This learning module aims to engage students in problem solving, critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and cooperative learning. The module is appropriate for use in any introductory or intermediate undergraduate course that focuses on human-environment relationships. The module introduces the complexities in the relationships among environmental…

Brazilian engineering schools are under a strict program to reengineer their courses with the financial support of the federal agencies. At the electronic engineering department at the University of Sao Paulo, this process started by modifying the Basic Electricity and Electronic Laboratories. This paper describes the new structure of these labs…

A 3-year high school program based on functional mathematics (FM) benefits all students, regardless of career goals, by providing a strong background for students entering the workforce and for those moving directly into postsecondary education. A high school curriculum that helps all students master FM would effectively address issues of both…

Fifth in a series designed to provide early childhood educators with ideas and strategies for applying High/Scope principles, this idea book focuses on the plan-do-review process. Chapter 1 of the book describes the components of the plan-do-review process and explains its importance, discusses how the process fits into the daily routine, and…

It has been suggested in the existing literature that the use of constructivist approaches in the educational setting contributes to active learning and knowledge transfer for students. This paper provides an overview of constructivist approaches used in a graduate-level instructional media production course at a midwestern comprehensive…

Presents cooperative classroom projects using science as the initial basis for the study of bears. These projects may also involve other areas of the curriculum such as mathematics, art, and music. "Black Bear" activities include following a park ranger to study our National Parks and researching and building a full-sized brown bear…

Cooperative learning is the use of small student groups as teams to accomplish a common goal, emphasizing positive interdependence, individual and group accountability, face-to-face interaction, team skills, and group processing. Using formal cooperative learning groups at the college level requires planning, monitoring of students' learning,…

Describes a series of hands-on experiments that engage students in hypothesis testing and promotes active learning of the concepts of evolution and adaptation. Laboratory exercises demonstrate how features of the hands and eyes distinguish primates from other mammals. (SOE)

Focuses on an activity used in an introductory psychology course that enabled students (n=65) to comprehend the concepts of obedience, conformity, and social roles in the area of social psychology. Explains that the students found the activity to be helpful in understanding the role of social influence. (CMK)

Discusses how to change library information literacy classes for Generation Y students (born after 1981) to accommodate their learning styles and preferences, based on experiences at California State University, Hayward. Topics include positive outlooks toward technology; orientation toward images, not linear text; low thresholds for boredom and…

Provides a four-step process for teaching about racism: (1) the articulation of experience, (2) codification, (3) decodification, and (4) empowerment. Teaches students to describe what they see around them, define the problem, share similar experiences, question why there is a problem, and strategize what can be done about the problem. (DAJ)

Claims that the major obstacle to active learning techniques comes from students. To free class time for active learning, students must take on the responsibility for learning factual information on their own. Looks at ways to explain the benefits of active education and to orient students in this approach. (RJM)