New adventure educators frequently rely on lists of review questions to guide group processing of activities and experiences. An alternative tool is offered; a review table based on themes of hard (technical) and soft (interactional) skills encourages observation and critical thinking as educators modify the review process to fit a particular…

Describes an evaluation study that was conducted to assess strengths and weaknesses of an outdoor-based experiential training program used in Thailand. Explains the Self and Team Development in Practice (STP) Walk Rally and considers adult learning theory, experiential learning theory, and the HRD (human resource development) Evaluation Research…

Investigated the relative effects of two test taker characteristics--native language and learning experience--on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign English Placement Test. Subjects were 203 students. Background information was gathered through a questionnaire. Native language appeared more influential on test performance than learning…

Contemporary schooling, particularly high schools, could benefit from a return to the model of Plato's Academy in which ecstatic experience provided a central and informative role in addressing the higher stages of human development. Supplementing traditional curricula with integral practices that address body, mind, and spirit, and reviving the…

Discusses the experiential activities that are used in a graduate course on qualitative research that addresses focus groups, observation, data collection, cultural sensitivity, ethnomethodology, data analysis, and morals and ethics in research. Explains that students participate in an activity in which they defend qualitative research. (CMK)

An award-winning science teacher recalls her youth in Appalachian Kentucky and how she learned the fundamental concepts of biology, botany, hydrology, and geology playing and working in the family's "holler." The holler also gave her a philosophy of teaching--she has her students experience the wonders of the natural world before…

Place makes learning relevant and underlies identity. When schools give kids tools and expectations and integrate them into their curricular and extracurricular activities, the school becomes a creative force in a community. Then students can produce outcomes that demonstrate their abilities, enhance the reputation of their schools, and make a…

Students from an Albany (New York) free school spent a week repairing storm damage in a Puerto Rican village with a rich history of community solidarity. The students learned how good it feels to help others and the power of cooperation. They also encountered another culture, discovered they could cope with challenge, and experienced appreciation…

The Applications in Biology/Chemistry (ABC) curriculum is a real-world approach designed for the middle 50% of secondary students who may not learn in a predominantly abstract way. Stressing contextual and cooperative learning, ABC features 10 laboratory exercises and other hands-on, problem-solving activities involving visits to job sites and…

This article argues that the trend in college student public service cannot be sustained unless it is linked to the faculty's teaching mission, both disciplinary and interdisciplinary. This includes institutionalization of service learning in the field of pedagogy and within specific disciplines, and the linking of service learning to other higher…

Describes 10 educational practices to reduce fears of participants in adventure activities. Practices include formal informed consent, safety briefing, reassurance of nonjudgmental experiential-learning principles, statement of group and individual goals, sequential development of activities, "challenge by choice," instructor behavior and…

Discusses the use of networked technologies to add value to the learning experience during vocational placements of undergraduate students. Presents a case study showing the design and implementation of such networked support, and concludes that networked technologies such as audio conferencing and Web-based support have definite advantages for…

Describes an experiential learning strategy and field research project that was used as a means of transforming undergraduate students' gender understandings by engaging them in the research process from the development of hypotheses through the interpretation of data collected in field interviews. Discusses student reactions. (CMK)

A Gathering of Waters is a community-based art and activism project to raise awareness that the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo is a desperately endangered river, connect communities dependent on the river, and galvanize those communities into action. Activities provided actual and symbolic experiences of river water for American Indian, Hispanic, Anglo, and…

Let's Get Real, a competitive program in its 5th year, challenges teams of secondary students (in public, private, and home schools) to solve actual problems posed by corporate co- sponsors. Proposed solutions are presented at corporate headquarters and judged by corporate executives, scientists, and engineers. (MLH)