Based on the assumption that good teaching helps students understand how to actively acquire, use, and extend knowledge in an ongoing learning process, this guide presents strategies for constructing learning-centered course syllabi. Following prefatory materials, part 1 reviews implications of shifting from traditional syllabi, which focus on…

This paper focuses on the use of toys to teach Social Studies to elementary school students. The first section offers a literature review on play and the significance of play in a child's development. The remainder of the paper offers activities related to play in the areas of history, geography and economics. The object of the activities is to…

This book adopts a questioning approach to studying history in which students become biographers who read, discuss, research, and write books about their subjects, providing their own original interpretations of the facts. By digging into the past and reflecting on what they have learned, students get involved in the process and are eager to do it…

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) describes a learning environment in which problems drive the learning; that is, learning begins with a problem to be solved and the problem is posed in such a way that students need to gain new knowledge before they can solve it. This ERIC Digest discusses many aspects of PBL including a brief history, implementing…

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) describes a learning environment in which problems drive the learning; that is, learning begins with a problem to be solved and the problem is posed in such a way that students need to gain new knowledge before they can solve it. This ERIC Digest discusses many aspects of PBL including PBL and problem solving, PBL and…

The close relationship that Peace Corps volunteers develop with their communities and schools places them in a unique position to influence the behaviors and attitudes of the young women with whom they work. Workshops, camps, clubs, special events, and conversations all have the potential to promote decision-making skills, encourage goal setting,…

One of the hallmarks of reform mathematics classes is that students are actively involved in the learning process. They perform experiments, they collect data, they work on projects with other students, they conduct and write up labs. This panel, consisting of one faculty member and three students, will discuss some of the ways in which students…

This document consists of the first four issues of a serial publication, "Bringing History Alive in the Classroom!" The volumes focus on: (1) "A Sampling of Renaissance Instruments," which includes: information on Christopher Columbus, Leondardo da Vinci, and William Shakespeare, a timeline from the middle ages through the renaissance, Queen…

This book is designed to help educators use the Internet to engage students actively in learning and thus help them achieve high curriculum standards. Section 1 explores the Internet's potential as a tool to create learning experiences that will engage students as active learners. Section 2 discusses the use of the Internet for communication and…

This booklet discusses law-related education and its role in helping young people become better citizens. The booklet describes the "Youth for Justice" program, a unique national initiative that uses the power of active learning about the law to build upon the vitality of young people and to address the risks of being young today. Youth…

This paper provides a suggested teaching model enabling students to conduct extensive, hands-on survey research as the basis of part or all of a political science class. The model emphasizes active student learning and development of applied skills. The components of this model can be modified for use in a broad array of undergraduate political…

These essays address education for citizenship at a specific, concrete level. The collection offers examples of efforts to create among students a new set of what Alexis de Tocqueville called "mores" or culturally defining "habits of the heart" that enhance citizenship, foster a sense of connectedness to a community, and…

The Internet enables teachers to enhance the teaching and learning of history through quick and extensive access to primary sources. Introducing and using primary sources in the history classroom will almost certainly lead to active learning and development of critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving. This Digest discusses: (1) types and…

This volume is a synthesis of interviews conducted with 48 teachers who are infusing their large classes (over 100 students) with small-group activities or are working explicitly to create student communities within large classes. The chapters are: chapter 1, "The Argument for Making Large Classes Seem Small" (James L. Cooper and Pamela…

This study attempted to determine which teaching method, mainly manipulatives or the standard curriculum, best allowed the students to learn first grade math concepts. The manipulatives consisted of objects such as unifix cubes, personal chalkboards, work mats, and various other articles, which allowed the students to see the math that they were…