Discusses using interdisciplinary classroom projects planned jointly by students and teacher in a language arts based gifted program for students in grades K-6. Describes projects based on the study of teddy bears and real bears, publicizing National Children's Book Week, and conducting a study of the students' school and community.(DHP)

Describes a project in which fifth graders researched the history of their school, interviewed people associated with the school's history, and created a booklet of school memoirs. Discusses problems overcome in each phase of the project, and offers practical suggestions on class management and project supervision. (SV)

Describes how to organize a student-directed laboratory investigation which is based on amphibian metamorphosis, lasts for nearly a term, and involves extensive group effort. Explains the assignment, student response and opinion, formal paper, and instructor responsibilities. (RT)

Describes an academic-based summer program designed to prepare students for high school chemistry. Discusses motivational techniques, feedback, drills, competitions, and tutoring sessions. States that increased enrollment in chemistry, student achievement on post-program test, and the number of Blacks interested and succeeding in the sciences are…

Discussed is the importance of marine education and experience with the seashore in helping children to adopt positive attitudes about nature. (CW)

Notes that Montessori envisioned that the ideal environment for adolescents was "Erdkinder," or "children of the land." She believed that nature could provide a calming force for adolescents, and working the land with peers could prepare adolescents for real life. Describes the development of the Blackwood Land Laboratory,…

Our highly technological society requires that all students be empowered to use mathematics to defend their rights and see behind political control agendas. Situations (such as computer-modeling decisions) are often "mathematicized" to stifle those unable to construct their own mathematically based arguments. African-American students…

Indiana University's Teacher Education Laboratory replaces and supplements portions of the preservice program previously provided through field placements in area schools. This article describes the initial field test of a laboratory experience for secondary education majors. Surveys rating students' attitudes about the experience indicated…

A computer-based replacement for an electronics laboratory experiment was created and tested on second-year undergraduate students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southampton (England). Responses, assessed by questionnaire, showed that computer-assisted learning techniques provide a viable means for teaching…

Overviews philosophies related to the principles of adventure education and stresses the need to create a theory of adventure education in which concepts such as enchantment, happiness, awareness, and the mystical are central; the natural world is included; concepts are created that stay true to the essence of adventure education; and thought and…

Notes that throughout our educational and teaching experiences, we develop our own scripts, or the body of knowledge we call our own. Traces the script development of one educator, and concludes that becoming a teacher is a lifelong process. (JW)

Stresses the importance of experiential learning and reflection as bases of nature interpretation and environmental action. To promote effective nature interpretation by students, outdoor educators must develop skills in communication, dealing with the process of cumulative experiences, selecting evaluation criteria, examining meanings and…

This single-subject study compared the effectiveness of two intervention approaches, direct instruction and activity-based intervention, on acquisition and generalization of object names by six young children who were at risk or had developmental delays. Acquisition of object names was enhanced by use of highly structured didactic approaches to…

A forestry and agronomy course at Iowa State University incorporates problem-based team projects on real-world situations as a means of providing students with integrative and meaningful experiential learning. Student evaluations of these courses indicate that students recognize and appreciate the integrative nature of the problem-based team…

Study examined whether body fatness and weight control knowledge could be learned by students while they completed skinfold testing. Students received information on the subject in different manners while undergoing skinfold testing, then completed a knowledge test. Students who received instruction during measurement scored higher than control…